


Lavender Tea

by Avagina



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: All the members are mythical/fantasy beings, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Fluff, M/M, Slow Burn, i cant do angst so none of that, if that makes sense, ill tag as i go along, kinda awkward first meetings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-08-02
Packaged: 2019-03-11 21:49:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 26,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13533237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avagina/pseuds/Avagina
Summary: Even though Changbin wouldn’t mind owning the flower shop for the rest of his life, he still wished for someone to share it with. Watching his friends meet new people and form romantic relationships made him feel like he should be doing the same, though he knew that if he waited, he might end up meeting someone special.





	1. Your eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Hi ~  
> My name is Ava and this is actually going to be the first fanfic I've posted! This is more of an introduction to the fic so this chapter isn't really that long, so stay in-tune for longer chapters to come ;). I will be updating weekly (or earlier) if i manage my time properly! 
> 
> Thank you for reading!

It was a cold morning; the sun simply starting to appear along the horizon, melting the frost on the road ways and illuminating the landscape with an orange-like haze. The once visible ghosts disappearing under the growing light, groggy vampires strolling briskly back towards their underground covens before the sunlight becomes too intense for their delicate skin, and werewolves – now returned to their human frame – making the walk of shame back towards their flats to start their day anew.

Towers ascend high in the sky, canvassed in vines and blooming foliage, the odd spriggan using its growing roots for arms to tend to the numerous plants developing along the outside whilst the local birds chirp and situate themselves along the spriggan’s many branches. As the sun continues to rise, as do the non-nocturnal dwellers, many shop owners begin to prepare their stores for the clamouring day to come. Along one of the many streets within the green city sits various café’s, potion-brewing stores, charm booths and the odd fortune tellers hut squeezed between the over-shadowing buildings. There is however, one store in-particular that makes the street smell heavenly and always has pixies dancing along the pots in front of the shop’s windows. A singular flower shop stands directly between one cute, and cosy charm café run by an equally adorable enchanter and a Familiar store owned by fast-talking and quite enthusiastic half squirrel/human hybrid. Furthermore, as much as it is home to numerous flowers, the store also has a nursery concealed away in the back, growing inside a greenhouse where there can be numerous herbs and other plants grown to sell in remedies or as fixings. Luckily for the owner, the neighbouring buildings did no heed in blocking the sunlight from filtering into the small greenhouse as they stood barely two stories tall. 

It seemed to be the perfect location for a flower shop as nervous dates would pick up white lilies or chrysanthemums for their significant other waiting in the café or a young witch would be picking out their first familiar, detouring into the flower shop to pick up specific plants and greenery the contracted creature would prefer. The flowers are always the perfect colour and the customers always form a smile either walking in or even simply passing the fascinating shop. However, in contrast, even though the store is vibrant in every way, the shop owner is always seen wearing neutral colours, not a speck of colour on them. 

The owner’s arms are sprinkled with numerous small, but intricate tattoos and their eyes always drowsy, though their small but plump lips are constantly kept in a simple smile, respecting each and every customer whom steps into the store, even on rough days. He is a strong, youthful male awaiting his nineteenth birthday, though to his dismay, his stature happened to be on the smaller side of all his friends (including the owners of the neighbouring stores) due to being conceived half fairy, however, he utilizes it to his advantage while inducing people to spend more money in his shop as many customers find his appearance adorably charming. Though he owns and runs the store himself, he is particularly introverted, shy and tends to get irritated easily (but never shows it), though finds peace in watering his plants and cutting up stone fruit for the pixies outside.

His name is Changbin, and additionally happens to dabble in sorcery alongside his nature magic, a well-used, large spell book always kept by his side. You see, not only is Changbin half fairy, but he is also half demon. Not that being half demon was a bad thing, however it did tend to scare some customers away due to his inexplicably dark emanation, marginally grey skin and the short horns that would peek out of his pitch black hair, yet he continued to show a comforting smile to every individual whom ventured into his store. His pointed, long ears adorned with studs would twitch slightly as he bowed politely to every customer, using his most cheerful voice to say, “Welcome to Binnie’s Bouquet, how may I help you?”

 

“Good Morning Changbinnie! Love seeing you this early in the morning,” Crowed a happy voice, entering the flower shop with enthusiasm, their pointed hat bouncing dramatically with every prance the young witch would take towards the front counter. The loud entrance startling Changbin and his familiar – a small wind-breathing dragon – of which was nestled unobtrusively within the flowers beside where Changbin occupied. It was Minho, one of Changbin’s very close friends and a renowned witch whom deals with extremely precise and difficult medical potions. “I didn’t know you wore makeup, is that a new trend? Under-eye shadow?” Minho teased, clearly ridiculing his friend’s tired expression, it’s not Changbin’s fault, he just happened to stay up late playing an extremely addictive game which he had bought the previous day, and also happened to finish it at 5:00am this morning.

The witch worked from home, taking orders over the phone or receiving commissions in the mail as he trusts he functions admirably in the solace of his own home, without any distractions. Changbin doesn’t believe his words on that account as Minho lives with the very uproarious and rowdy squirrel hybrid that owns the familiar store sitting to the left of the flower shop, however he does suppose both of them have quite loud personalities, maybe it cancels out when they are alone together? On the usual occasion though, Minho will frequent Changbin’s shop to pick up rare ingredients for complicated mixtures as the flower shop is quite renowned for its up-to-date and useful produce. The two met through Jisung – the squirrel hybrid – at a small gathering one of their friends held, warming up to each other instantly after bonding over their love for plants and their admiration for each other’s profession. In spite of the fact that Changbin remained guarded and shy, he grew to learn and observe that Minho is extremely witty and sarcastic, with the greatest heart and all the adoration for his loved ones, just by listening to the older talk endlessly about them. The fairy really admires his friend, but after nearly a year of knowing each other, he has learnt how to deal with Minho’s sassy and playful side.

Changbin gives a scowl in return to his friend’s question, knowing the older will take that as an answer. Minho does, and walks straight past the dark fairy, heading towards the archway to the left of Changbin that leads to the greenhouse. The flower shop in itself is quite large, though with all the plants and flowers covering nearly every last inch of the shop, the room looks drastically smaller. Entering through the entryway, on the left there are three large glass-door refrigerators with numerous crisp blooms and bouquets resting in it, shelves on either side of them adorned with water plants sitting in jars and the odd book for decoration. Vines and other creeping plants of all hues hang from the ceiling in baskets, swinging under every gust of wind that comes through the door when it opens. Amoung other bushels of assorted flora, large islands of tall plants and flowers are positioned around the room, replicating that of many small scale biomes, one of Changbin’s most loved features in the store. The dark fairy’s counter is situated towards the back of the room, parallel with the entrance and displaying many odd pots and plants behind it on tall racks. There is a set of stairs to the right of the counter which leads to Changbin’s small apartment upstairs, colourful beads on string used to block the view of the staircase.

“Did you happen to get any Hawthorn Berries?” Minho asked noisily as he walked through the nursery, searching for his particular fixing.

“Yeah I got some in two days ago, there should be a tree up at the back that’s still in its pot” Changbin shouted back, not bothering to move from his perched position on the stool behind the counter. Five minutes later Minho walks back out of the greenhouse, carrying the large pot with a healthy Hawthorn sapling situated in it, the leaves tickling the witch’s blonde hair. 

“Thank you my dude, now I shall be go-“

“What will I get as payment?” Changbin blankly looked up at his friend struggling with the heavy pot in his hands.

“Are you kidding me? After all I’ve done for you? I’m your hyung!” Minho protested back, lips framing a slight pout and his fingers slipping significantly more under the pot. The two gazed back at each other, quietly battling, but Changbin could predict how it was going to end as he knew Minho had a soft spot for him. After a few more seconds of their staring-eye-contest, the witch lets out “Ugh fine!” Softly placing the pot on the ground before strolling up to the dark fairy whom is grinning in all his winning glory from behind the counter. “What do you want this time? Considering I have endless treasures and so much to offer you.” Ignoring the obvious sarcasm, Changbin takes the time to thoroughly consider his decision as he didn’t really think that far ahead, but he still wanted something out of his friend, hyung or not, hawthorn saplings are rare and Changbin made sure to put a little bit more effort into his order so Minho would end up getting one. Okay, so maybe Changbin also has a soft spot for Minho.

“Hmmmm, I’m going to save it, consider it a favour for when the time comes” Changbin could always use a solid against Minho, that witch seems to have ties with numerous prestigious figures in their world, maybe he could be introduced to one. 

“Fine! Okay fine, whatever you say, I’ll do you a favour whenever. Only one though!” Minho agreed, rushing back to pick up his plant, opening the shop’s front door with his back and shouting a loud “Only one okay!” Before the door shuts and Changbin is finally left alone again, in peace.

“Yeah yeah I get it, have a safe trip home” Changbin mumbles to himself, absentmindedly itching his ears while rolling his eyes playfully and glancing at his familiar, who seemed to have enjoying watching the whole act from its place roosted between two pots of hydrangeas. “Stressful day for you isn’t it, Zephyrus?” He asked the tired dragon, which only gave a small nod and a loud sigh in return before disappearing beneath the flowers for a deeper sleep. The sight made the dark fairy tired in return, waiting for the day to be over. It was a Tuesday, one of the calmer days, which implied he could likely close earlier so he can reside upstairs to his small apartment space above the shop. Oh how he wished to be sleeping right now, but alas, he has a job to do so he settles for gazing out the windows across the store before him, watching the small pixies eating the stone fruit he had prepared for them in the morning before opening. The pixies were great for the plants as their pixie dust would encourage the plants to grow their brightest and influence the flowers to bloom longer, attracting people walking by to smell the sweet-scented flora. Despite the fact that Changbin had an obvious evil presence running through his blood, they didn’t seem phased by his dark aura, perhaps they could sense the fairy in him or chose to stay for the free food? Either way, the pixies had made a home in the nearby public park, flying over to his flower shop every day, remaining until dusk. It added a sense of tranquillity to his life, and made him all the more joyful to practice his sorcery when there were no customers, his large book of spell owning a spot on the front counter. Even though Changbin wouldn’t mind doing this for the rest of his life, he still wished for someone to share it with. Watching his friends meet new people and form romantic relationships made him feel like he should be doing the same, though he knew that if he waited, he might end up meeting someone special.

Distracted in his thoughts, he started to absentmindedly trace the small tattoos dotted along his left arm. He acquired the vast majority of them when he turned 18, though that’s not to say he didn’t get any before that as his independence lead him to mature quicker and make rash decisions – such as getting a tattoo – at quite a young age. As his mind continuously runs wild, every so often he spontaneously thinks of ideas for a new tattoo, quickly writing a description for them in his journal, as he believes he isn’t much of a traditional artist. Most of his current tattoos are simple flowers, some quotes and others are ones he had done in the spur of the moment; mini pieces of artwork sprawled along his arms. His closest friend, Bang Chan aka Chris, owns a popular tattoo parlour up the road – of which Changbin has had most of his tattoos done – and is renowned for its unique style as well as its clean and precise artistry. Both have been friends for as long as they can remember, growing up together and attending the same school was never planned, but they wouldn’t want it any other way. However, as Chan was two years older than Changbin, the artist finished school earlier and was able to start his adult life becoming the official owner of his tattoo parlour…. and was also able to begin other chapters in his life as well... You see, Chris is currently in a very committed, love-filled relationship with none other than the adorable enchanter that owns the café next to Changbin’s flower shop, Woojin. Changbin isn’t bitter or anything – just a little bit – but seeing the cute couple peck each other’s cheeks and hug the other from behind makes the fairy realise how goddamn single he is. Though he shouldn’t really be complaining since he has put little to no effort into meeting new people, and also the fact that anyone who does show interest in him, Changbin will just end up friend-zoning or turning them down because hey, standards are a thing. So no, he shouldn’t be complaining, but he will, for the sake of being in a position where he can. 

__________________________________________________________________________________  
As it reaches 1pm, the rush ends and Changbin decides it’s the perfect time to clip dying leaves off the plants displayed in the window. It’s therapeutic to him in a sense, being able to look outside but only being able to hear a dull hum of the busy scenery. It had become a game for him to pick out random people and make up backstories for them, romance packed or ones full of adventure, he’d like to think that the activity helps grow his creativity. Sometimes, if his backstories seem unique enough, he will write them down or make a song around it, opting to show them only to Chan as the artist said it helps bring him creativity and inspiration as well.

As Changbin starts clipping the dead leaves, his eyes search through the numerous people walking by, looking to find inspiration for a backstory. He makes sure to continuously look up and down as to avoid accidentally cutting off parts of the plant he is trimming. In his distraction, he doesn’t notice the young boy bending down in front of the window to play with some of the pixies dancing along the pots, holding out his smooth fingers in order to greet the diminutive creatures, hoping to possibly befriend them. Changbin also doesn’t seem to notice when the boy stands up, as his focus is on cutting off a particular leaf, however when he does eventually look up and notice the boy on the other side of the glass, his brain seems to shut down altogether as he is body temporarily pauses whilst looking down at the – now staring back – stranger. It’s like time has stopped altogether as the two are momentarily fixated on each other’s features, not a care for any passer-by that seems to witness the awkward situation.

The stranger has short, ash-grey hair with obvious dark brown roots growing through at the top, styled so that his forehead slightly peeks through. Multiple daisies are scattered in his soft-looking, tousled locks, almost like he had been rolling around in a flower patch before getting distracted by the pixies at the front of the store. His pointed ears, which are adorned with few earrings that seem to glow under the afternoon sun, slightly stick out, similar to that of an elf’s and frames his face perfectly in every way… oh god Changbin is starting to blush. As the fairy’s eyes slowly cast downwards, avoiding the stranger’s eyes, he is met with a constellation of freckles dancing along the boy’s slightly puffed cheeks and Changbin swears he can seem them sparkling in the afternoon glow. Almost as if his demon side had suddenly taken over his impulsivity, Changbin finds himself staring directly at the boy’s lusciously plump and perfectly arched lips, slightly parted in the stranger’s distraction staring back at Changbin, the dark fairy watches the boy’s lips slowly form a small yet blinding smile out of awkwardness, and he almost thinks he can see it reflecting off of the glass panes, yep definitely, definitely fucking blushing. That’s when he looks into his eyes, trying to pull his attention away from the strangers lips but instead ends up even more entranced by the boy’s bright eyes. Compared to Changbin’s pitch ebony eyes, the stranger’s eyes are a dark hazel, specks of green floating around in his irises, sparkling as if his eyes are made out of pure magic itself. Changbin had never felt so relentless to look away from someone in his entire life, but he knows he has to, or else he will seem weird, and boy does he definitely not want to make a bad first impression. Though, they both are yet to break each other’s gaze as it seems the stranger is also quite reluctant to look away any time soon so Changbin takes the initiative in this awkward but spiritual situation and silently counts to five in his head before giving the boy a small smile, before looking down to hide the raging blush prominent on his cheeks. 

When he looks up however (after counting another 5 seconds, forcing the blush to go away), the boy is seen to be running down the street, accidentally bumping into a few people and tripping over a crack in the pavement, watching the mess, Changbin chuckles lightly under his breath silently swears to himself that he shall never pass that boy again or else his heart might just explode.


	2. Lazy days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just another day, lounging away.
> 
>  
> 
> and also constantly thinking about that one boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again!   
> I apologise SO MUCH for not updating earlier ;-;.  
> I honestly procrastinated so much and every time i sat down to write i would just end up taking a nap. BUT i have returned and i KNOW i said i would be doing longer chapters but this is kinda of (??) a filler so please excuse it lmao.  
> Thank you for reading!!

“Fuck, ya’ll really gotta do that over the counter? At this time ungodly hour of the morning?” It’s Changbin’s sacred day off from work, and despite the fact that he expected it, he kind of hoped he wouldn’t run into Chris leaning over the counter at the café all googly eyes over Woojin, whom was gazing back at the artist with just as much adoration even though he was in the middle of preparing a customer’s coffee order. It’s a Wednesday, which implies essentially all cafés and shops are open today, prompting Changbin’s believed ‘best decision I’ve ever made’ as he chose this day specifically to be the one time a week where he doesn’t have to open up the store, and can invest as much leisure time as he wants strolling around, gaining inspiration for song lyrics and finding more people to create backstories for.

 

Chan whips his head around in the wake of staring at his beloved for a further couple of seconds, slightly groaning at the fairy for disturbing their _obviously_ _very special_ moment. “If it’s such an ungodly hour than why are _you_ up huh?” He retorted back, though Changbin can see the smallest glimmer in his best friend’s eyes as they haven’t had time to catch up for a couple of days, and very much so miss each other’s company.

 

The two ended up moronically smiling at each other before the dark fairy took the initiative in walking over to where his friend was still situated at the front counter, one elbow leaning heavily on the polished wood surface. “Just stopping by my favourite café to see my _favourite_ hyung,” Changbin greeted cutely to Woojin, scrunching his nose in a way that would influence anyone to swoon and gush over. In order to add a little effect to his words, the fairy held his hands behind his back, swinging back and forth on the balls of his feet, ah yes, _the perfect combination_.

 

“I can’t believe you’re pulling this shit on me again, do you understand how rich I would be if you actually paid for your goddamn tea?” Woojin glared at the younger, having finished the order he was occupied with a moment ago and was now leaning on his side of the counter, arms folded as if to say ‘ _I’m not letting you slip by this easily_ ’. “You can’t fool me this time Binnie boy…. Pay up” The enchanter demanded, holding out his hand in hopes that Changbin will actually pay for his tea just this once. Changbin knew it was going to happen one day or another so, in his defeat, he reached into the pocket of his coat, fishing out any loose change he could find and woah- _is that a pack of gum I feel?_ Containing the flash of joy that shot through his body with the discovery of a _sealed_ pack of fresh gum, he made sure his face displayed how tired he felt as he lazily plucked out a couple of coins and placed them into the expectant enchanter’s outstretched hand.

 

“Can I get pretty please get a shot of luck in my coffee” The fairy shamelessly begged once more, leaning towards Woojin, making his eyes big and pouting his bottom lip slightly. “Just this once Woojinnie-hyung” He drawled out to express his desire. Woojin - in defeat - just rolls his eyes before disappearing behind the coffee machine to prepare Changbin’s usual drink, leaving the two best friends softly leaning on each other at the front counter. Noticing  how new customers were starting to flood into the café, the two opt for settling into their regular spot within the quaint shop; a small table against the window accompanied with two comfy, plush leather seats which are adorned with rustic, thin blankets and small pillows. The overall aesthetic of the café is quite natural; many plants – curtesy of Changbin’s generosity – hang down from tall shelves and are scattered along the wooden tables and counter tops in small ceramic pots, additionally, long wires of fairy lights are hung amongst the greenery, reflecting a soft glow and creating a warm atmosphere all around the tight space.

 

Woojin has owned the café for quite some time, taking over the family business from his parents when they decided to retire, which gave the enchanter the opportunity to add extras to the menu and design the space to his liking. Woojin took his talent for potion mixing and decided to incorporate it into the drinks he sold at the café, thus the charm café was born, where customers could order special elixirs as an extra to their drink. And no, Changbin will not tell anyone why he ordered a splash of luck with his tea.

 

“What do you need all the luck for? Finally found someone you fancy eh?” As they sat down at their usual seats, Chris questioned the fairy teasingly, obviously not meaning for an explanation, however, with Changbin’s slowly reddening cheeks the warlocks face reflected that of a young child on Christmas morning. “No Way! I was just kidding around but actually? Someone finally swept you off your feet?” Chan slightly shrieked in excitement, standing up tall before slamming his hands on the table in between the two of them. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment! Honestly this is earlier than I exp – “.

 

“Chris oh my goodness please sit down! You’re embarrassing me, fuck you!” Changbin snarled whilst pushing Chris back down into his seat. “Listen, don’t tell anyone, I don’t even know the kid – “.

 

“A kid!?” the warlock yelled, gaining the attention of bystanders yet again and leaving Changbin with an even redder face. The fairy let out an exasperated sigh before folding his arms and letting his head fall onto the table’s surface. “Look Changbin, I love the fact that you found someone but I just can’t support your relationship if you’re going to be dating a _child_ ” Fortunately, Chris whispered the last sentence, but made it all the more unfortunate because that meant he took it literally.

 

“You literal dumbass.” Changbin began, lifting his head from the table to look his best friend in the eye, “When I say kid, I mean Jisung kinda kid, not a literal fucking ten year old oh my god” He jeered, as if his sleep deprivation was enough, his friend seemed to be doing a marvellous job at decreasing his will to live at the moment. “To continue what I was saying before I go interrupted, I don’t know the _young man_ , he walked by the window while I was clipping plants and he just _happened_ to capture my eye, okay?” Changbin concluded, blatantly hiding the truth and already tired of the conversation, why did Chris have to be so easily excited? Said warlock was still stuck in a daze, taking in his friends words and most likely regretting misinterpreting his friend’s words, but even if it did, it seemed to skip his mind and his lips formed a large, cheeky smile.

 

“Oh? He just…. _happened_ to capture you eye eh? Must have been your type considering you’re blushing so much Binnie Binnie Changbinnie, hmmm?” Chris teasingly questioned, wanting to get a jab out of the smaller boy… just because it’s adorable when the fairy gets pissed.

 

“Bang Chan I will end yo – “

 

“Your Lavender tea m’lady” Woojin said as he placed the hot pot of tea on the table in-between a very ticked off fairy and a warlock grinning mischievously from ear to ear. “Enjoy”.

 

_.-~-.__.-~-.__.-~-._

 

It has been exactly four days since Changbin’s heart was momentarily stopped by the beauty of the un-named stranger on the other side of the window, which implies that it has also been four days since he last saw the sparkling, freckle-faced boy. Even though they barely stared at each other for more than a few extremely long seconds, the image of the young boy is etched permanently at the front of Changbin’s brain, reappearing every time the small fairy is not occupied on a task. This has proven to be more of a daily struggle than a silly, short-lasted crush and may or may not be keeping Changbin awake at night.

 

Furthermore, being the amazing best friend he is, Chan has taken it upon himself to remind the fairy about his crush during every lasting second the two spend together, not letting the little droplet of significant information go. Changbin has additionally expressed his annoyance at the warlock feeling the need to intrude on his personal life, but that only fuels Chan to continue doing so as he secretly thinks the fairy is extremely adorable with rosy cheeks and an angry scowl. But that’s not to say Changbin doesn’t enjoy thinking about the stranger, hell no, in fact, it’s all he’s been wanting to do; picturing the blinding smile and the face seemingly structured by the gods themselves. However, it does pose as a struggle when he is trying to help customers choose certain flowers for a bouquet as his mind will accidentally wander into ‘beautiful stranger’ territory, and just kind of sit there, as if chained to a chair, causing him to lose focus and slightly piss off the client.

 

Today just so happened to be extremely busy, which left no time for the fairy to rest his head on the counter and slowly drift away to dreamland. The days were slowly etching closer to the rainy season, and quite a lot of people liked to plant new saplings and seeds during this time as the rain water would be fresh and full of nutrients. Changbin didn’t necessarily mind the extra people flooding into his store, ordering him to fetch what they need, it was common, and it also meant more income and possibly more credibility. Though that’s not to say he would rather be spending his time lounging around upstairs in his small apartment, curling up into a warm, fluffy blanket while sipping a pleasant, hot cup of lavender tea.

 

As the clouds began to darken and the rain began to drizzle down onto the city, less and less people could be seen walking outside, which lead to a significant decrease in the amount of customers in the flower shop. This, is what Changbin would call ‘peace’ as he watched the pixies dancing in the rain, some hiding underneath the large leaves of the philodendron sitting next to the front door. He watched as people scurried by - almost like mice running from a cat - trying to salvage whatever was in their hands from the quickening spits of rain pouring down on every inch of uncovered terrain. Even though he is in doors, the smell of rain is strong all around him, a sign that there is to be a much larger storm coming, and it took the effort of all the bones in his body to control the urge of running outside into the pouring rain, becoming drenched from head to toe in the cool mist. However for now, he let his head drop down, resting it on his folded arms perched on the front counter, ready to take a quick nap, for science, of course.

 

Now if he just listened to the quiet pitter-patter of the crying clouds outside, he may just be able to-

 

BOOM. The sound of emptiness was disrupted by the loud gregarious boom of thunder, the icy grey sky beginning to restlessly grumbled. The rain fell like an ocean thrown from the sky. It crashed into the town, splattered off the sidewalks, and formed instant rivers that raced along the gutters and overwhelmed the drains. Whatever creatures of whom were stuck in the storm were sure to develop a mean cold.

 

“Oh my god wait the pixies!” Changbin launched out of his chair and raced towards the front door hoping to make sure the diminutive creatures were safe. To his luck, they were fine, save for the shivering and obvious huddle for warmth against the trunk of a fig sapling. “Would you guys like to come inside? I have a heater and some fruit,” the mention of fruit peaked their interest as they all stared expectantly at the fairy. Changbin took the signal to move out of the way, opening the door wider to welcome the small pixies inside. One by one they flew in, going straight towards Zephyrus whom was laying in front of the heater, and subsequently piling themselves onto the warm dragon which gave a slight puff in annoyance but made no effort to move from his place.

 

“I’ll go get some fruit for you guys okay!” He announced to the dog-pile of pixies in front of the heater, only receiving a few small thumbs-ups and a low rumble from the belly of the snoring dragon. After closing the door, his hands hovered over the lock, “hmmm, should I leave the door unlocked in case people want to come inside?” Changbin whispered to himself, wanting to allow others to seek refuge from the heavy rain but also conscious of the fact anyone could come into his store when he is not aware. He internally struggled for a few seconds before making up his mind and leaving the door unlocked, also ensuring to leave a sign that says ‘Will be back soon’ on the front counter.

 

He mindfully stepped over the warm pile on the ground and slowly walked up the carpeted stairs that leads to his apartment. He always keeps the door locked, even if the store itself is completely impenetrable by any outsiders, as the streets at night can be a dangerous place, so he fishes the keys out of his back pocket and swiftly  unlocked the door, opening to reveal his currently pitch black apartment. “Ugh, you’d think with all the windows this place would be a little brighter, even if it is cloudy as hell outside” Changbin mumbled to himself, turning on the light switch which is located on the wall to the left of the door. From the doorway, the lounge room is revealed, a worn-out but soft couch sitting facing the small tv against the wall, and just like downstairs, the apartment also has its fair share of greenery hanging around. Most of Changbin’s furniture was bought from a second-hand store as his artistic side believes there is an aesthetic atmosphere surrounding the poorly painted coffee table and the slightly ripped curtains, which actually _does_ kinda bring an aesthetically pleasing feel to the room, more specifically, a homely one.

 

The kitchen is quaint and colourful, assorted pots decorating the minimal shelves, some holding different bags of tea, some containing multitudes of rubber bands, yet all painted with a subtle pale-olive tone, complementing the small plants hidden between them. Though the kitchen is quite small, it is easy enough for one person to navigate effectively and Changbin takes pride in knowing exactly where everything thing is and where it goes. He makes his way over to the fridge, adorned with various magnets and family photos, and rummages through the contents before pulling out a paper bag filled with peaches and plums. From a small cupboard he pulls out a cutting board, then proceeding to manoeuvre his body through the space to get to the small stand that displays his cooking knives before beginning to prepare the food for the hungry pixies downstairs.

 

The dark fairy finished his job quickly and packed the dirty dishes into the sink, making sure everything was neat before speed-walking over to the door, mindful to turn the light off before closing up. He struggled slightly when trying to get the key in the lock because his other hand was occupied with a slightly heaving plate of fruit, but when he finally achieved locking the door he raced downstairs, eager to watch the cute little pixies much on the slightly too-big pieces of stone fruit. “Heyyy pixies…. I have you’re food prepared, I hope you aren’t smothering Zephyrus to de – “what _. Is. That._

 

“Oh, um…. Hi”

 

_Fuck_.

 

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Oh, great

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rain still pours down, but the heart shines brighter every minute.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO! So my friend on twitter told me she would give me an entire Bang Chan if i uploaded early so here ya go ~
> 
> btw my twitter is @cuteboibangchan
> 
> Enjoy!!!

“What the _fuck_ , Hyunjin” The demon spoke cruelly to his – _kind of_ – master, expressing their dissatisfaction with a loud sigh before plonking down on a nearby bench, ridiculously slouching half way down the seat. “You said we would be able to find him here because your ‘elf instincts’ said so” as much as he didn’t want to admit it, Hyunjin really did believe his so called ‘elf instincts’ were a very plausible means of searching for his kingdom’s lost prestigious figure.

They were currently standing (Well one standing, the other sitting) in a random park in the city, tired and worn-out from searching what may have been the whole goddamn geographical location within the last 3 (or was it 4?) days.

“Look, Seungmin, I was wrong okay? Now can you please get off your ass so we can continue looking for him” Hyunjin commanded sternly; he wasn’t going to let his contracted demon get too comfortable around him. The red-eyed, black-haired creature stared up at the elf, a shocked expression on his face before it contorted into a sleazy smirk, the demon’s mouth opening widely to let out a loud laugh in mock of the elf’s attempt at commanding him. “Dude what the fuck just get up ok” Hyunjin sighed in exasperation, face-palming himself harshly as if he thought this was some kind of annoying, fucked-up dream, the demon, on the other hand, was wildly slapping his knee and looked as if he was about to fall off the bench with the force of his laughter.

“Ok, ok… but only for you oh great master” Seungmin complied after calming down, sliding back up the bench before hopping off the seat, giving Hyunjin the evilest smirk, though, if it were from another’s point of view, it would look like the sweetest, most endearing smile in the world. Hyunjin hated it.

Hyunjin is from an extremely affluent Elf kingdom, located to the North of the large city, where a great castle rises, surrounded by residential buildings, woodlands and vegetation. You could consider this particular kingdom to be a royal palace as many government official occasions are held within the marvellous building and the occasional tour group will stop outside its gates to gaze in awe at its structure. If we were to use labels, Hyunjin is _technically_ a prince as his father’s brother is the ruling king of their domain and even though the name does give a bit of pizazz to a conversation, he’s never really seen himself to be named as such a prestigious figure.

Elves are a particularly _fancy_ species and have always been. The castles that stand are hundreds of years old and the pointed-eared folk reside in it due to culture and tradition, as their many ancestors built the kingdoms and have remained part of the community ever since. No one cares though, literally no one, elves are just another species in society that just _happened_ to live in big castles with chandeliers and marbled floors, other than that they are just regular members of civilisation. Hyunjin has grown up in said castles, but has wanted nothing more than to live in a small apartment in the city. Being able to fully infuse himself to the bustling lifestyle.

That’s where Seungmin comes in.

You see, Hyunjin’s only friend was his cousin – whom they are currently looking for – other than that he had no one else to share his life with, he didn’t have a hard time making acquaintances at school or what-not but he just never _clicked_ with anyone in a way where he saw their friendship lasting forever. So he did what any normal, logical teenager in his situation would do: summon a demon. It’s not that all he wanted was a friend, but his cousin just so happened to bring up a so called ‘rent’ one day and implied that if Hyunjin were to live in the city, he might need someone to help pay rent with him. Said cousin was out of the picture in that idea as he was forced to stand next to the throne, having to watch and learn from their father’s every move in case he were to become king one day. So Hyunjin naturally set up a summoning circle thingamabob and chanted a random demon song he found on google. Thus, Seungmin was beckoned.

And now here they stand, two years later, smiling evilly at each other in annoyance. Though contrary to popular belief, the two secretly don’t know how they would live without each other.

 

_.-~-.__.-~-.__.-~-._

 

“Ugh we’ve looked everywhere! Everywhere I tell you!” Hyunjin shouted into the void as the duo sat on the plush grass in a park, eating ice cream. The two were sitting under the shade of an old weeping willow tree, revelling in the cool winter breeze, but internally struggling with their task at hand. As soon as they had been notified about the prince’s disappearance, the two set off on a manhunt, hoping to find Hyunjin’s cousin easily, but have since spent the past four days looking for him.

“Maybe he’s dead” Seungmin stated, laying back on the grass after finishing he icy dessert, the elf only stared back shock, not knowing how the younger could just state that with such a relaxed face.

“Are you fucking serious? Have some faith!” Hyunjin yelled back, hitting the demon on the chest roughly.

“Faith? Hyunjin, I’m literally a demon.”

“Fuck you man, you know what I mean.” The elf jabbed back, all bark but no bite. His cousin couldn’t be dead, kidnapped maybe, but not dead or else Hyunjin would know, plus, the boy knows better than to accidentally stumble into trouble. Heck, the lost elf could be partying at some vampire rave for all he knew. “I just…. I wanna make sure he is okay…” Hyunjin sighed, his dark brown hair flowing in the cool breeze.

“Yeah don’t worry, I have a hunch he’s doing just fine,” Seungmin turned his head to smile at the elf.

“You think so?” Hyunjin questioned, now gazing worriedly back at the demon.

“Oh yeah, I know so.”

A comfortable silence took over the pair as the lay beside each other, looking up into the branches of the weeping willow, sunlight filtering through the leaves. When Hyunjin had summoned the demon, he initially thought a wild, hideous monster would arise from the circle, but was quite shocked when a boy around his age with deep red eyes and pitch black hair just appeared in front of him out of thin air, no grand reveal or cliché smoke smothering the room, just a cute boy. However, the cute boy was vividly furious at the spontaneous summoning, shouting at the elf “You could have warned me!” and “I literally have homework to hand in tomorrow, why couldn’t you wait!” but they eventually sat down together – after a very long time trying to calm the demon down – and ended up talking about anything and everything throughout the night, forming a better understanding of each other and slowly forming a friendship.

Seungmin was originally kept as a secret from everyone but Hyunjin’s cousin, though after roughly three weeks of sneaking past the guards and pushing the demon into every known closet to keep him out of sight, Hyunjin’s mother accidentally came into the elf’s room while the two were in a very heated debate about whether water was wet or not. At first, his mother screamed… a lot, as the first thing she had seen was the demon’s strikingly red eyes. Shortly after though, Hyunjin had managed to calm her down, it was as if all fear had left her completely as she joined them on the bed and gushed over Seungmin’s cute appearance, repeatedly saying “Awe Hyunjin, why didn’t you show me this cutie earlier! I can’t believe you kept such an adorable young man to yourself!” His mother was obviously just taking the piss with the last statement, but it didn’t fail to make Hyunjin double over to hide the forming blush on his cheeks. The demon, being... well, a demon, saw his friend’s obvious struggle and has yet to let the boy live it down.

After what seems to be ten minutes of laying down in the cool shade, Seungmin gets up onto his feet, outstretching his hand to his companion below. “Well come on, we’ve gotta prince to find.”

 

_.-~-.__.-~-.__.-~-._

 

“Oh, um…. Hi”

_Fuck_.

Changbin whips his entire body around so his back is facing the not-so-stranger aka the one boy he never wanted to see again. From what his eyes had caught before he died of embarrassment, he had seen the boy, now on the _inside_ of the glass sitting in front of the heater with _Changbin’s_ dragon in _his_ lap, dear god please help this poor fairy in this time of need.

“Hello?” If Changbin didn’t register how deep the boys voice is, now it’s definitely the only thing he can think about because _what the fuck how_? He knows that he just can’t keep standing there with his back facing the adorable, cute, handsome stranger (not-so-stranger) so in his internal defeat, he slowly turns back around, mindful to keep his eyes trained on the ceiling.

“Oh um haha hi… how did you get in?” The fairy asks awkwardly, rocking backwards and forth on the balls of his feet, once used as a trick, now used as a result of nervousness.

“The um… the door is unlocked. If you don’t want me here I ca-“

_Shit the door is unlocked_. “No!” Changbin says a bit too loudly, and by impulse his eyes lock with the young boy’s… _ah fuck_. “I mean no, don’t leave yet haha… it’s pretty dangerous outside at the moment and I would feel bad if you got hurt or something…” The fairy trailed off, silently proud of himself for conjuring up a full sentence in front of the strikingly beautiful boy, as if on que, a loud strike of lighting could be heard nearby, making the boy jump in fright. Changbin shifted his gaze to a nearby pot plant in case he got stuck staring at the boy again, now very aware that they are the only two people in the room – save for the sleeping pixies and dragon in the freckly boy’s lap. The plate of fruit Changbin has in his grip is starting to become a lot warmer in his palms, and the fairy can feel the dish slide the tiniest bit down his hand due to the condensation of sweat building up. “I uh, I have some fruit if you would like some… I mean I went and prepared some for the pixies but I know they wouldn’t mind if you had some” Changbin spoke again in hopes of relieving any awkward tension in the room.

“Sure! I love fruit, what kind do you have there?” The stranger looked up at the fairy from where he was sitting, his freckles visibly glowing like stars in the night sky.

“I just have some stone fruit at the moment, like plums and peaches” Changbin mumbled into the air, now supporting an obvious blush dusted upon his cheeks, hopefully the lighting is dim enough so the other cannot see. The unnamed boy patted the ground beside him with a wide smile on his face, inviting Changbin to sit down, so he did, very awkwardly at that, and made sure there was at least a 30cm length distance between their knees.

The two sat quietly together as they shared the plate of fruit, revelling in the warmth of the heater situated in front of them. The storm still raged onwards, showing no signs of calming down even after the sun had set. Changbin had already stood up once to go lock the door quickly in fear of an _unwanted_ guest bursting through the door so his brain deemed he cannot stand up again, or else he would look nervous, which he isn’t, _obviously_. While he was internally screaming, he didn’t notice the young boy to his left turn to face him, a small glint in the hazel eyes of the stranger, full of interest and envy. “My name is Felix” Well that was enough to startle Changbin out of his inner battle, turning to face the boy whom was already staring at him.

“W-what?” The fairy questioned dumbly, awe-struck by the visibly glowing freckles and the curious eyes trained on his face.

“Felix, my name is Felix” The boy repeated again in his mellow voice, directly speaking to Changbin whom was visibly lost looking into hazel eyes. A long moment passed before the fairy finally came free of his distraction, leaning back slightly in order to stabilize his breathing, he then spoke.

“Mine’s Changbin.” He finally said, gazing back into Felix’s eyes. The atmosphere surrounding the two became tense and both looked away at the same time to hide their creeping blushes from the other. “So… are you an elf?” The fairy finally said, needing to break the ice before he physically implodes.

“Oh! Yeah I am, and I can tell you’re a fairy but there’s something about you that doesn’t seem like a…. fairy…” Felix slowed his speech, making it seem deeper than it already is, Changbin’s ears twitched in worry at the drawled sentence. _What if doesn’t like demons? Oh my goodness I’m ruined. This is where I end. Minho won’t have time to save me. Tell my dragon he can have the store. I might even put Jisung in my will. Oh g-_

“A demon! That’s what I couldn’t pick out at first but now it’s so obvious! The aura you give out is quite dark but also calm? I find that so cool!” Felix rambled, freckles almost blinding Changbin’s sight and a smile so bright even the sun would find it intimidating. A loud sigh left the fairy’s mouth, obviously relieved he wasn’t making the boy uncomfortable. “I love your shop by the way! The way it’s arranged and the beautiful plants and flowers you have on display” As Felix continued to speak, small buds started appearing in his hair, rising until they were on full display before blooming into the most beautiful purple orchids Changbin has ever seen. _Admiration and Innocence_ Changbin recited in his head, staring at the bring blooms, all senses now devoted to the boy sitting in front of him.

“Yep that’s me, the half demon,” Changbin said, letting out a small chuckle, still stuck in a trance staring at the flowers. “If you don’t mind me asking but how do you…” He trailed off, bring his hand up towards Felix’s face, pointing at the large blooms in his tousled hair. The freckles on the boy’s cheeks dimmed the slightest bit, looking down to hide his own blushing skin before straightening his back and locking eyes with Changbin once again, now a cute smile adorning his face.

“I’m cursed” Felix stated pointedly, simultaneously knocking the wind out of Changbin with the blunt answer. “I got into a bad run with this little kid…. He’s still training to be a witch but the son of a bitch got his grandma or something to curse me because I bumped into the little shit and didn’t apologize,” The elf relentlessly rambled, obviously very frustrated with his given situation. Changbin couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“The old hag cursed me with these damned but pretty flowers that pop up whenever I have a certain emotion, which is really quite an issue for me right now cause I happen to be talking to someone that owns a _flower shop_.” Changbin decided ‘fuck it’ and let out a bark of laughter at Felix’s puffed up cheeks and deep frown. The orchid’s died in the boy’s hair and within seconds, bright orange lilies stood prominently within Felix’s hair. The elf let out a strained huff, “See! I don’t even know what they are or what they mean!” he began to tug on the stems but stopped after letting out a shriek of pain.

Changbin rushed to his side, instinctively grabbing his hand to stop the boy from pulling all his hair out, Felix instantly became frozen in his place noticing the fairy kneeling over him as he looked up into his pitch black eyes. “Hatred” Changbin let out in a small puff of air, “orange lilies symbolise hatred. Also, stop pulling on your hair, it won’t do anything but hurt you”. Felix just continued to stare wide-eyed at Changbin, watching the fairy sit back down, a little bit closer than before but none-the-less still at a comfortable distance. The two both faced the ground, now in their seemingly hundredth round of trying to hide their blush from the other. As Felix calmed down, the lilies slowly disappeared, leaving his ash-brown hair flower-free, giving him the chance to properly comb through it as the flowers can sometimes leave his hair tousled and unruly.

“Thank you for letting me stay in your store while the storm calms down” Felix said to the floor, not daring to display his flushed red cheeks to Changbin. “It really means a lot, I’m so sorry for causing you this trouble, heck, I even ate some of your food. I’m the worst unwelcome guest ever.” Changbin’s now favourite form of speech is rambling. Only just letting the boy’s words sink in, the fairy moves his hand so quickly to hold Felix’s shoulder, slightly moving it back and forth as he goes on his own tangent.

“Oh God no, you are more than welcome here, stay here as long as you need please, eat all my food if you want to!” Changbin almost shouts into the boy’s ear, realising he probably looks like a goddamn _clown_ , he lets go of Felix’s shoulder, straightens his back and lets out a small cough. “I mean, yeah, it’s all good, I don’t mind you staying here,” He said in a slightly husky voice which contradicted the fierce blush spreading on his cheeks.

Felix all but smiled endearingly at Changbin’s internal conflict, looking at the fairy as if he had all the answers in the universe. The elf was the first to let out a muffled laugh, soon turning into a glorious sound echoing through the store. Changbin may have discovered his favourite sound, and laughed with the boy, adoration prominent in his eyes and every now-and-then he would look at the glowing freckles, vibrant in every way, making the room all the more warmer.


	4. I feel....content

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your laugh could win against a choir of angels in a singing contest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO AGAIN!!!  
> I'm BACK with another chapter and I'm actually kinda happy how this one turned out???  
> Please comment if something is wrong or doesn't make sense BECAUSE I AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO GO BACK AND EDIT MY WORK FOR YOU GUYS.  
> My twitter is https://twitter.com/cuteboibangchan if yall wanna follow me ;)  
> This chapter is inspired by my friend! She means a lot to me, so I'd like to dedicate this TO YOU MY LOVE UWU.

The sky continued to cry, drenching the city in its tears, old gutters filled to the brim and gushing with heavy water racing towards the industrial drains, turning the roads into rivers. Street lights glowed dimly in the onslaught of relentless rain, making the millions of droplets glimmer like pieces of gold falling from the sky. It was serene and peaceful. The sun had disappeared well ago, letting the fluorescent moon find its place in the night sky so it may watch over the quiet city, causing the many windows of high rise buildings to gleam brightly in the cold, but welcoming glow.

The numerous parks were smothered with forming puddles, making it seem like the once green grass were now multiple black portals, softly rippling under the pelting droplets of rain. Maybe if you were to fall into one, you would be welcomed to a new dimension – plausible, as no one has ever tried. Tree branches of which are weighed down by the constant exposure to the water falling from the clouds appear to nearly be touching the floor beneath, their leaves creating a fast rhythm of droplets cascading into the puddles below. As soon as the rain begins to let up, the plants will flourish, and the city may just become submerged in the growing greenery.

You could tell the city and its dwellers decided to sleep early in the night, hoping to wake up to the presence of a bright sun and sky as blue as the lightest sapphire. However, two bodies lay awake, resting on the floor of a flower shop, basking in the warmth emitting from their portable heater, a comfortable silence resting over the two whom settled barely a ruler’s length apart. They have been like that for a few minutes now, their boisterous laughter made their stomachs cry in pain, causing them to fall onto the floor, now opting for looking up at the white ceiling above them, smiles getting bigger every minute that passes.

“Would you like some tea?” Changbin asked in a hushed tone as he felt that if he were to speak any louder, the air surrounding them would break like glass. He turned his head slightly to look over at the boy whom was laying a few centimetres away from him, though, he was caught by Felix’s beauty once again. The elf lay with his heading facing up, full lips parted in a small smile, eyes beginning to shut, giving Changbin a clear view of the boy’s long lashes. His freckles were dim now, residing back to little brown flecks dusting his cheeks, though, what stood out the most when looking at the boy was his hair. Matthiolas, stock flowers grew radiantly. Beauty, happiness and contentment.

Changbin has never felt more alive than he does now.

“Hmm?” Felix hummed in return, laying his cheek against the floor so he can look back at Changbin, eyes still slightly closed but the smile is all the more brighter. Their faces were barely close enough to get flustered but the two couldn’t help but blush through the silence.

“I was wondering if you would like some tea.” The fairy replied, beginning to sit up, his back momentarily aching in the process.

“If it’s not a hassle, thank you.” Felix said as he smiled up at Changbin whom was standing up straight now, hands clasped between his back.

“Really it’s not a hassle whatsoever, just tell me what kinda tea you like and I’ll brew some for you.” He smiled genuinely down at the elf still laying on the floor.

“Oh god, I’m not even sure… what kinds of tea do you have?” Felix questioned, now in a sitting position. Zephyrus and the pile of pixies had moved closer to the heater during the loud laughter the two boys had expressed earlier, keen on staying warm but also wanting to keep their hearing.

“Uhh it’s a little hard to explain, I have a lot so… did you just want to pick it out yourself?” The fairy ventured, not wanting to come off creepy. He was also quite curious to see which tea the boy favoured. Felix just looked back at him, his lips forming a thin line and the stock flowers slowly died in his hair as he considered the proposal. Hazel eyes shifted from Changbin, to the stairs, then back to Changbin, obviously conflicted as even though the fairy has presented himself as a warm hearted but closed-off, more likely introverted individual, Felix knows he shouldn’t just _trust_ someone. But dang, Changbin is making it extremely hard when he is just standing there, big puppy-dog eyes complimenting the expectant look. The elf just scratched his pointed ear and pushed himself off the floor, “Sure, show me your secret tea stash.” That gave Changbin the cue to begin walking up the stairs, not bothering on waiting for the elf to catch up.

“Come on then, my apartment should be warmer than downstairs” The fairy called out as he pushed open the door, stepping back to press himself against it so Felix can walk in first. It was a tight space, but Changbin was already standing there and now, by default, is not allowed to move until Felix steps inside, which proves difficult when the boy walks up the stairs, getting closer and closer. Felix stops beside Changbin, confusing the fairy because _just go inside I’m being a gentlemen right now_ , and turns towards him, Changbin accidentally knocks his head on the door behind him when he notices their proximity.

“You go in first, it’s your house and I’m just a guest, I’ll keep the door open for you” Felix says, reaching his hand out to hold the door back, waiting for the fairy to move. I guess both of them entered their own silent competition of kindness because neither budged from their spot. So there they stood, Felix’s hand placed centimetres away from Changbin’s head, the two stuck in a staring contest, both particularly competitive when it comes to showing hospitality.

“I’m already holding the door open, you go in, I need to be kind for my guest.” The fairy retorts back quietly, having to look up slightly as the elf is a few centimetres taller than him, however, with the sudden closeness, the boy appears to be hovering over. The two go silent, the sound of rain could still be heard but their breathing was the only noise registering in their brains, neither understanding why they were like this in the first place.

“O-ok” The voice was deep and mellow, even with the slight stutter. Felix drew back, breaking eye contact and walked slowly past a very internally flustered Changbin to enter the small apartment. The fairy heaved a sigh of relief when the boy was out of ear-shot and slightly slumped against the door before dragging himself into the flat so he could get their tea ready. When he spotted the boy, Felix was stood in the lounge room, looking around in wonder at the tattered but otherwise comfy furniture. His freckles began to glimmer again and new flowers formed in his hair, this time, an abundant of daisies grew from the roots of his hair, sprouting faster than ever before.

“Innocence and purity,” Changbin recited in a hushed tone, making sure the other doesn’t hear him. “Cute.”

_.-~-.__.-~-.__.-~-._

“Wow! You have so many to choose from! You must be a real passionate about tea.” Felix exclaimed in wonder, observing the multiple jars with labels on them, the pads of his fingers lightly brushed over the names before he stopped on one. “You should brew some of this for me!” His low voice flowed through the apartment and Changbin _swore_ he saw his plants perk up in interest… or was it admiration? Distracted by the plants, the fairy had still yet to see which tea Felix had picked out, though that was all-too-quickly answered when the boy bought the ceramic jar over, a precisely painted label making Changbin do a double take.

Lavender Tea.

The fairy was positive he couldn’t stop the blush from colouring his cheeks at the sight of the jar Felix was holding, it was as if Felix _knew_ , and that scared the living shit out him. “O-oh umm… is that the tea you would like?” He’s gotta make sure, he’s just gotta make sure.

The elf looked down at the jar, a small frown forming on his face, “is it bad?” he questioned, looking back up at Changbin with a curious expression.

“No, no, it’s good… it’s actually my favourite so I just got a bit surprised,” The fairy said calmly, trying to hide the continuous screaming going on in his mind, “I’ll put the kettle on.” As the water began to boil, he walked lightly over to the high-placed cupboard which he stores his mugs in, resulting in having to go onto his tippy toes to reach the shelf. He could hear a muffled laugh behind him, instinctively making him recoil and cringe in annoyance, causing him turn around, only to be met with crinkled eyes and glowing cheeks. Felix was leaning against the counter, holding in his laughter at the sight of Changbin trying to grab his mugs, more daisies sprouting in his hair because of the happiness and purity spreading between the two.

The fairy lights which hung along the shelves casted a warm, yellow glow over the two as they revelled in the sudden feeling of contentment with one another. Changbin thinks he can hear the plants cooing at them. The situation building between the pair had never felt more bizarre; admiring each other as strangers on opposite sides of a window, to standing quietly in the kitchen together, grinning from ear to ear because they wouldn’t be able to suppress it, all within a matter of days. It’s possibly the fastest advancement of a relationship Changbin has ever been in, heck it even took some time to warm up to Chris’s playful personality, even _longer_ adjusting to Jisung’s overly enthusiastic attitude. So the fairy took this as an accomplishment, an advancement in his social skills, a _level up_. However, both are still shy with one another, though slowly, trust, honesty and comfortability will flourish, building a stronger connection and understanding between the two, well, Changbin hopes so (Felix might, as well).

The kettle whistled loudly, echoing through the entire flat, breaking Changbin out of his daze in time to turn the fire off. He grabbed two infusers, shovelling a small spoon of lavender tealeaves into the brewing utensils as preparation, clamping them shut before placing them into the large mugs. He poured the boiled water into the cups and slid Felix’s over towards him, being careful not to accidentally touch the boy’s hands in fear of electrocution. “We can sit on the couch while we wait for it to brew? I can put on a tv show if you would like?” Changbin asked hesitantly, still praying he wasn’t coming off as a creep.

“Yeah sure! I just need to grab something downstairs.” Felix replied, leaving the mug on the table.

“Oh yeah, I should probably turn the heater off and bring Zephyrus – my familiar – and co. upstairs.” He’d completely forgotten about his familiar and the pixies downstairs, let alone the literal heater that could have burnt down the entire store, but Changbin couldn’t see himself getting anxious over the mistake as he was enjoying his time with Felix all too much. The two made their way back downstairs, Felix walking straight over towards the door where a single umbrella stood, leaning against the wall. _Since when was that there?_ Changbin thought to himself, suddenly, a question rose in his head, “Oh, Felix that reminds me… how come you didn’t get drenched in rain from the storm outside?” It was his first time saying the elf’s now aloud and the way it rolled off his tongue felt _so right_ as if his sole purpose of his existence is to say ‘Felix’ repetitively, and only ‘Felix’.

The elf froze at the front of the store, clutching ‘his’ umbrella to his chest, “Oh well you see, I was leant this umbrella by a very kind man and when the rain started to fall, I just so happened to be standing outside your shop, luckily for me you have a slight shelter in front of the store or else this umbrella would be totalled,” Felix explained, the daisies slowly dying in his hair “And I saw you open the door for the pixies to come in, I was going to say something but you seemed occupied… fortunately for me, you left the door unlocked! So I very rudely let myself in – I apologize – because it was cold out.” The elf remained formal in his language and kept a straight back, as if he were trained to do so, and bowed respectively after he finished his explanation. Changbin was caught in awe at the demeanour, definitely not expecting the sudden change in conversation, it felt weird somehow and the fairy resented the feeling.

“Hey don’t worry about it, I’m sorry I didn’t see you earlier, you’re welcome whenever okay?” Changbin reassured, as he wanted nothing more than for the flowers to grow in the boy’s hair. It worked, and now Felix was prancing back over to Changbin, clutching his umbrella tightly. “You go upstairs and check to make sure the tea is still warm, I’ll be right up.” He announced to the taller boy, flashing a small smile before turning the heater off. Felix just nodded in agreement and raced back upstairs, gradually becoming more comfortable in his surroundings.

Changbin picked up the small creatures, cradling them in his arms, they continued to sleep as he made his way back upstairs, struggling to lock the door behind him but somehow succeeding anyways. He prepared a small bed near the window for the pixies with his free arm, a barely conscious wind dragon wobbling on his shoulder, making it all the more difficult to stabilise the tired pixies in his arms. He got there though, placing the diminutive creatures into the pile of blankets, he also reminded himself to unlock the window to ensure an easy exit for the pixies when they wake up. After making sure they were properly tucked in he’d forgotten about the extra presence in the room, that is, until he could feel a pair of hazel eyes watching him move around.

He turned around slowly, thinking the boy was looking at him, but discovered Felix’s eyes were locked on the dragon perched on Changbin’s shoulder. Felix was sitting comfortably on the nearby couch, his legs tucked neatly underneath himself. “You said their name is Zephyrus, right? It’s a beautiful name, it relates to a wind god if I remember correctly…” the elf trailed off, obviously not confident in his knowledge.

“Yeah, the west wind god, but the little guy here doesn’t seem much of a god, more like a cat if anything” Changbin lightly chuckled, walking over to the couch to sit down next to Felix, he may have _accidentally_ sat a little too close, but he covered it up with wanting the boy to get a better view of Zephyrus. “He’s freakishly harmless… here, you can hold him if you want.” The fairy waited for the boy to nod before taking the mug out of his hands, using his other hand to pluck the dragon off his shoulder and carefully placing it in Felix’s lap.

The elf was hesitant at first, but after the first touch, the boy was entranced by the rough skin and the small spikes along the dragons back, its wide wings fluttering slightly when Felix managed to find a certain spot of which Zephyrus favoured to be scratched. “I think he likes me” The boy gleamed up at Changbin from his hunched position over the dragon, freckles glowing ominously and flowers growing wildly. Changbin wishes this moment would last forever, caught in the beauty of it all.

“Yeah, I think he likes you too” He smiled back at Felix. _I think I do as well_.

_.-~-.__.-~-.__.-~-._

“Hmmm, it really is pouring outside isn’t it?” Minho questioned quietly, tucked under the covers of the bed. They left their curtains open as they two enjoyed watching the rain trickle down upon the city outside, the soft pitter-patter performing a sweet lullaby.

“Shhhh, stop talking and just listen.” Jisung ordered the older to do, though his voice remained soft and quiet, not daring to ruin the moment of peace. Both were hidden under multiple blankets and doonas, limbs tangled and soft hands clasped together, their thumbs slowly stroking the promise rings adorning each of their index fingers. It was nice, Jisung’s head was buried in Minho’s neck as his tail curled around the two bodies for extra warmth. Every-so-often Minho would run his fingers through the younger’s hair, lightly scratching behind the small, fluffy ears. They enjoyed times like this, they liked spending it with each other. “Did you hear what Chan said over the phone earlier?” The squirrel hybrid asked, gaining the interest of the witch he clung onto.

“Yes, of course Jisung, cause I can obviously hear the other person on the other end of the call I’m not even part of,” Minho rolled his eyes dramatically before grinning adoringly down at the younger as their cheeks puffed up in mocked annoyance. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding, tell me, I’m curious now.” The witch chuckled lightly, feeding his fingers softly through his partner’s hair. Jisung grinned mischievously at the other, as if he held the most powerful information in the world, which he believes he does.

“Chan told me Changbin likes som-“

“What!” Minho couldn’t let the other finish, shooting up from his spot and trapping the younger underneath him. “Changbin likes someone?!” He repeated Jisung’s words loudly, shaking the boy up and down in his grip. “How could he have not told me? Me of all people! I could _help_ him!” The witch continued to rant as Jisung became dizzy from the constant shaking out of enthusiasm. Jisung only knew one way to calm the other down. “I could give him pointers, teach him special moves, _I could even be his wingman_ , oh my goodness this is just too much information I ne-“ Hearing enough of it, Jisung wrapped his leg around Minho’s body, flipping him over so that the squirrel hybrid sat on the witch’s belly.

“That’s enough out of you, I thought it was quiet time?” The hybrid pouted at the other, jutting his lip out for an added effect of sorrow. Minho just stared back at him, eyes half shut as he took the time to take in the other’s features, completely forgetting about the new gossip on Changbin. Tousled hair, pink cheeks, arched lips and the most beautiful eyes the witch has ever had the honour of looking at, all adorned onto one boy’s face. Not a day went by where Minho didn’t think of his boyfriend, each having their own occupation left little time at the end of the day to spend with each other, so the pouring rain brought opportunity, and Minho felt stupid to be so eagerly excited by Changbin’s love life.

“You’re right, we should get some rest,” he whispered, knowing the other will hear anyways. They gazed lovingly into each other’s eyes before Jisung ducked his head down, stealing a chaste kiss from the unprepared witch. As he pulled away, he had the chance to capture the sparkle in Minho’s eyes, the hybrid still believe the other held an entire galaxy in them. The two grinned at each other, laughing lightly at the way their shared kiss still makes the butterflies in their bellies flutter wildly. “One more?” Minho didn’t need to ask as Jisung closed the gap between them again, their soft lips hugging each other for longer than before.

The younger then rolled off the witch, tangling their legs once more, revelling in the comfort of each other’s arms, slowly, but contentedly falling asleep to the pitter-patter of rain hitting their window and the soft breathing of the one they held onto so dearly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	5. I just want to see you smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your gleaming smile may just be my favourite sight.

The pixies slept soundly, nestled quietly by the glass windowsill, the soft fall of rain substituting as a soothing lullaby, a sweet serenade. Small lights that hung from the ceilings as well as antique lamps which sat unobtrusively on top of stumpy, wooden framed side tables dimly lit the room in a soft, aureate glow, dousing the small apartment with the colour of an early sunset. Two empty cups left atop the long coffee table, its contents emptied quickly into the night, but the owners never made it to another helping. The air is still, slightly chilly, but comfortable, and the two boys whom sit on the couch, one reading a book, the other slowly falling asleep while watching a movie on the tv with no volume, breathe quietly, not wanting to disturb the other.

Felix may be tired as hell, but he was increasingly becoming more and more anxious in the going minutes. After Changbin had let him hold Zephyrus, the fairy had gotten up to make sure the lights in the kitchen weren’t left on, in doing so, he returned with a book in one hand. They conversed lightly for a while, immensely interested in each other, learning about their age (Changbin insisted the other call him hyung as “Hey, you’ve seen the inside of my house and even my familiar likes you, so please, you can call me hyung), hobbies, likes and dislikes as well as their favourite foods and movies. Their conversation lead to Felix quietly watching Bambi on the small TV, while Changbin sat beside him, reading. Changbin had asked if the elf didn’t mind him reading while the other watched his movie as they wait for the rain to calm down, which he didn’t, but since the rain had resided to a light trickle, Felix began the waiting game for the other to notice. Though, it seemed Changbin had become deeply immersed into his book, not noticing the tense aura radiating off of the elf.

“Um, Changbin, uh, hyung…I should get going, it’s already past midnight and the rain has let up, so I should be able to get home safely without my umbrella literally crumbling…” Felix ventured in a low voice, feeling rude for disturbing the older while he reads. Changbin slowly lifted his head up from his book, keeping his index finger tucked into the book from where he finished reading. He let out a soft “hmmm?” as his eyes connected with Felix’s across the couch. The elf gave a small smile, repeating himself, “I should go now, it’s late and I shouldn’t stop you from getting rest.”

“Oh shit, I didn’t even notice the time, did you just want to stay here? You can take my bed if you’re tired.” Changbin asked leisurely, but on the inside he was screaming at his own words.

“Oh no, really, thank you so much but I should go, my um… my parents will be worrying” Felix leaned back, shaking his head at the fairy’s generous offer, but he wouldn’t want to cause the other so much trouble. However, his words made Changbin all the more tense, a protective side squeezing out through the fairy’s laid-back persona. It was normal for this to happen to Changbin, since he was only half demon, he found it hard to control intense emotions when they arise.

“Felix, I don’t know if you understand this particular area very well, but at night, it’s dangerous, and I don’t want myself, as well as your parents, worrying about you.” Changbin’s face grew dark at his words, his irises seeming to go murkier than their natural pitch black, staring intently at the intimidated elf, and his lips in a thin line. Felix had stilled at the other’s suddenly deep voice and protruding dim aura. The lights flickered once, twice, three times, almost as if they were frightened by the change in atmosphere, as did Felix’s freckles. The elf had seen this before. “There are monsters out there, Felix, people who change overnight. You could get hurt if you stumble into the wrong place.” Changbin continued, his voice monotone, completely different from how he had been minutes ago.

“I know, hyung,” Felix said in a hushed tone, shuffling towards Changbin on the other side of the couch, slowly reaching his hand out to calm him, the lights and his freckles beginning to sporadically flash quicker to warn the danger as the elf got closer. The demon still has his book in his lap, one finger snug between the pages to not lose where he was up to, though his back slouched into the back of the chair, his legs spread out in front of him, head turned towards the other, eyes intimidatingly hooded and dark. Changbin looked increasingly daunting as the horns which sat atop his head seemed to become more and more prominent in Felix’s vision, however, he continued to reach out to the other. “Hyung, I don’t want you to worry.” He tested again, his hand now firm on the other’s shoulder. Felix was now kneeling on the couch, his knees nearly touching the side of Changbin’s thigh, he knew not to get too close, but from where he is now, he should be safe. Felix knew what was happening, the demon’s instincts were taking over, a common response to a threatening or disliked situation. He read all about it one day when he had been walking through the elf kingdom’s library, stumbling upon many scientific texts with teachings and observations on the demon’s temperament and mental processes, peaking his interest immediately. He used to think his knowledge on this specific psychology was going to be wasted, but being presented with a real-life example, he is thankful his friends had ditched him the day he went to the library.

“It’s dangerous, Felix.” Changbin murmured, repeating himself, the intense tone in his voice wavering as Felix continued to rub his shoulder.

“Yes, yes I know,” Felix replied, slowly beginning to lean on the back of the couch as he saw his efforts working on the older. The two kept eye contact throughout the process, the elf searching the other’s eyes, making sure he isn’t doing anything that could influence Changbin to revert back again. The lights around them stopped flickering angrily, and the freckles which adorned the elf’s cheeks, settled to a soft glow. It was as if the fairy had been startled by a loud noise as his eyes widened, his face losing every ounce of intimidation it had moments ago. “Changbin, if you really didn’t want me to go, you could have just told me you like my company.” Felix decided to tease, trying to make the atmosphere light-hearted, his freckles glowing in the process. Changbin just stared back in awe, not knowing how to respond after going through such a quick change in temperament.

Ignoring the elf’s ‘joke’, Changbin stood up, placing his book on the coffee table before grabbing the two empty cups, taking them over to the kitchen sink. As he finished rinsing the dishes he turned back around, leaning on the sink, to face Felix. “We can pretend that didn’t happen, right?” Changbin asked, scratching the scalp around his horns, Felix gazed respectively at him, looking over the back of the couch. The fairy looked overwhelmingly vulnerable with his eyes trained to the floor and his arms crossed in front of him, Felix wanted nothing more than for Changbin to smile again.

“What happened?” The elf joked, making sure his smile is wide and his freckles shine. Changbin looked up, connecting his eyes with Felix’s from across the room before he too smiled brightly, grateful that the elf was so accepting and understanding. A beautiful silence came over the two as soft pearls of rain could be heard hitting the roof above them, the sound creating a soft rhythm, a symphony of tears. “I guess this means we’re gonna have a sleepover?” Felix jested, feeling small ounces of excitement bubbling inside him.

“Look, I’m sorry I overreacted but it really is dangerous outside, especially since it’s raining and I don’t mean to hold you captive here in a way…..” Changbin babbled, trailing off, feeling guilty all of a sudden. “But yes… we’re going to have a sleepover.” He finished, somehow managing to not stutter under the elf’s gleaming expression. Changbin isn’t foreign to sleepovers – Chan used to be over nearly every night – but Felix is still very much a new person in his life, paired with the fact that Changbin may or may not be holding an extremely large crush on the guy, so the fairy knows for a fact that he will struggle to keep his composure in the other’s presence. “Are you hungry at all?” The fairy asked, now in full ‘I have a guest that I must meet the needs to’ mode. Felix just slouched more into the back of the couch in deep thought, as if his answers would make or break his future.

“Not particularly, all the fruit we had earlier really filled me up. Unless you’re hungry, then of course we can eat!” Felix stammered the last sentence, not wanting to come off as a bad guest.

“Oh, no I’m okay….you must be tired though, it is well past midnight.” Changbin pointed out, seeing the elf slouch more and more into the couch with every word. Felix just smiled bashfully at the other for pointing out the obvious. Changbin made his way to the back of the lounge chair, supporting his weight against the frame with both his arms, looming over Felix whom was still seated, now staring up at the figure over him. The fairy could now closely see the younger’s facial features up close again; the slightly glowing freckles scattered like stars across the boy’s cheeks, the now hooded eyes, drowsy from being up so late, the faint blush of pink at the tip of his nose from being out in the cold before, and, the plush lips, arched ever-so beautifully, pink and slightly glossy from the lip balm he kept in his pocket.  “I’ll take that as a yes?” Changbin asked, now leaning on one arm so he can point out the obvious bags under Felix’s eyes.

The elf nodded in return, “Yeah, I’m pretty tired right now…” Felix trailed off, not knowing how to structure his next sentence. “Do you, I-I mean… is it possible f-for me to use your um, shower?” The elf sputtered, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. Changbin felt like an idiot now, _of course_ , _people need to have showers, fucking idiot_ , he said to himself, completely forgetting about basic hygiene. He stood up, leaning backwards as he mentally cursed himself.

“I’m so sorry I completely forgot about that. Here follow me, I’ll show you where the bathroom is.” He stated, beginning to walk back towards the kitchen as the shower was located in the room next to it. Felix blushed even more, still not knowing how to bring up his next question.

“Changbin hyung, u-um wait!” He called out, getting the fairy’s attention. “I….I don’t have any spare clothes….” He trailed off once again, finding the words difficult to express. Changbin just stared back at the younger, his mind suddenly beginning to work again.

“Holy shit! I’m so sorry again, uh, wait right there and I’ll get some for you” He raced off to the other side of the house, disappearing into his room, making sure to spend some time ‘searching’ so he could ward off the raging blush covering his face. “Goddamnit, goddamnit, goddamnit, goddamnit.” Changbin repeated under his breath as he sorted through his clothes, trying to find ones that were suitable to sleep in. Grabbing an oversized t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, he headed back out to the lounge room, seeing Felix now standing up, swaying side to side in an attempt to ward off his tiredness, if Changbin wasn’t so focused on the sleepy elf, he would have noticed the fairy lights and lamps slowly dimming. “Ok…..now you can have a shower.” He called out, and all of a sudden, the lights came back to life, illuminating the room as Felix’s head perked up. The elf shyly smiled, following Changbin into the bathroom.

 

_.-~-.__.-~-.__.-~-._

 

“Changbin hyung, really, you don’t have to give up your bed for me, I can take the couch, and it’s actually really comfortable.” Felix pouted, wet locks of hair sticking to his forehead. He would shake his head every-now-and-then to help dry it, but he just ended up looking like a dog after a bath.

“Oh no, you’re the guest, my bed is a lot comfier than the couch.” Changbin retorted, his hair was slightly dryer as it was shorter, but there were still tiny droplets of water falling off the tips of his slight curls.

After they had both showered, Changbin had showed Felix where his room is, expecting the elf to accept his offer straight away, but here they stood, bickering about who sleeps where. After a few more minutes of their domestic dispute, Felix finally agreed to sleep in Changbin’s bed, and he didn’t want to admit it, but the fairy’s bed was _way_ comfier than the couch.

“Sleep well.” Changbin said before turning off the lights, however, he stopped at the door, one hand on the knob. “Did you….did you want me to close the door or leave it slightly open?” He asked, looking over at the boy with his head peeking out from under the covers.

“Please leave it a little bit open…….” Felix replied in a groggy voice, the tiredness getting the better of him. Changbin just smiled in response, leaving the door open half-way. As he walked away, he could hear the faintest “Goodnight, hyung” from his bedroom, a fond smile making its way onto his face.

 

_.-~-.__.-~-.__.-~-._

 

“I have a bad feeling.”

“About what?” Hyunjin asked, his interest peaked by Seungmin’s suddenly worried voice. They are currently eating dinner in their room at a nearby hotel, as they are not allowed to return to the kingdom without the King’s son. They had to reside to their room earlier than they wanted to as the rain began to fall heavily and their clothes became soaked. The two boys – now showered and dry, ready to go to bed - sit facing each other at either end of the only bed in the room – _this hotel is pricey okay they couldn’t help it –_ as they enjoy the comfortable mattress, however, becoming increasingly troubled by Seungmin’s words.

The demon stops eating, putting his plate on the bedside table before he straightens his back, frown carved into his usually soft features. “I just…I mean _I know_ he isn’t dead or hasn’t been kidnapped, but I just have this really _big_ feeling that, even if we do find him, he won’t want to come back.” Seungmin voiced his troubles, his head falling down in silence, obviously in deep thought. Seungmin knew that wasn’t all, he could sense _other_ things, more concerning things that he just couldn’t put his finger on but for now, he wouldn’t worry his friend. Hyunjin sat quietly, giving the younger some time before he gave him his reply.

“Of course he won’t want to come back, he obviously left for a reason. But we also won’t be able to return without him,” The elf didn’t feel hungry now either as a tight atmosphere surrounded the two whom were running with thoughts, worrying about their friend. “I don’t even think _I_ want to return anymore…” Hyunjin trailed off in a hushed tone, hopeful the other didn’t hear him, but also wanting to know if Seungmin felt the same way. Seungmin just looked up at him, staring as if he were in deep concentration. The two shared their silent battle, both withholding eye contact as they unknowingly entered a competition.

Seungmin all but let out a huff of air, leaning back on his hands from where he sat, “Yeah, I guess it’s been pretty cool.” The demon droned, his monotone voice cutting through Hyunjin’s heart like a knife.

“What do you mean it’s been pretty cool?” The elf snapped loudly, standing up on his knees which dug into the mattress below, he placed his plate hurriedly on the floor beside the bed as he is nowhere close to a table, readying himself to go off on a tangent. Seungmin was only partially stunned by the outburst, expecting the reaction but also _not_ expecting the reaction, though he probably should have known the older would get slightly pissed off by his comment. Hyunjin had been dreaming of living in this city for so long, and now that he got a taste of what life would be like – specifically with Seungmin – he couldn’t even _dream_ of living somewhere else, so yeah, Seungmin definitely poked the bear with a stick. “I thought we were having a great time! We even got ice cream and laid down _on grass together_!” Hyunjin jeered, riled up for really no reason. The demon couldn’t help but laugh at his friend’s flustered face, beet red with annoyance. He laughed so hard that the force made him fall over on top of the pillows, his body shaking with contentment, the loud cackle echoing throughout the entire room. “Why are you laughing? This is a serious matter!” Hyunjin cried again, but this time a small smile made its way onto his face as he couldn’t help but let out a puff of laughter at the cuteness of his friend.

Seungmin continued to laugh at his friend’s misery, which gave Hyunjin an idea. “Oh, you like laughing at me hey?” The elf said as he slowly crawled up to his oblivious target, arms reaching out over the shaking body. “Well how ‘bout I _make_ you laugh!” Hyunjin yelled at the boy, gaining the demon’s attention all too late before he attacked the younger with his hands, tickling the ever living fuck out of Seungmin. The victim of Hyunjin’s attack violently threw his arms and legs around in response, barely breathing through his laughter. “See! Now you’re having a fun time! Look at you laughing!” Hyunjin continued to yell, all traces of annoyance forgotten as he laugh along with his friend.

“Hyun-Hyunjin! S-Stop! It Hu-hurts!” Seungmin screamed with the air left in his lungs, wailing under the very pleased elf.

“Only on one account!” Hyunjin howled back, making sure the other can hear him through their own laughter. He continued to tickle the other, revelling in the happy atmosphere and the humungous smile adorning the demon’s face, _there, that’s better than a frown_.

“I’ll, I’ll do any-anything!” The demon shrieked back, making Hyunjin halt his murderous act as to make sure Seungmin listens closely, holding both his arms so he wouldn’t be able to escape. Seungmin cheekily smiled back at him, still in the high of being relentlessly attacked with tickles.

“You will have a great time hanging out with me.” The elf stared intently back at the younger, whose cheeks fell and eyes widened, not expecting Hyunjin to be so caught up in his words.

“You know I was just taking the piss right? Of course I’m having a good time with you.” Seungmin stared back at his friend before bringing his hand up to poke the small mole underneath Hyunjin’s eye. “You’re just being paranoid, you know I’d choose this over anything else in the world.” For some reason, Seungmin’s words hit a little close to home for the elf as he turned his head away, still holding onto the other. Since Hyunjin never really had a close friend before, he never knew what it was like for someone – other than a family member – to care so much about him, so hearing Seungmin express himself so openly like this made Hyunjin’s heart stutter and his face redden wildly. If the demon noticed – which he kinda, obviously did – he didn’t say.

The two settled quietly back to their positions facing each other, lost in the comfortable silence. It was already edging up to eleven o’clock at night, the moon barely visible through the heavy rain clouds.

 

_.-~-.__.-~-.__.-~-._

As glimmers of rain continued to hit the streets and wash away dirt from the sidewalks, monsters of the night played in the streets, humming songs of joy while dancing, splashing puddles of lucent water in every direction. Gremlins from the sewers crawled out from below, basking in the moonlight and swaying under the cool pellets, drenching themselves from head to toe in the fresh water. Their happy appearances contradicting their violent tendencies.

One boy, a young witch’s apprentice stayed up late that night, looking out his bedroom window at the fiends below, watching in awe at the waves of luminous rain flowing down around them, enjoying the freedom the storm had brought.


	6. Why me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well shit. Things just got a little bit gayer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO AHHH IM SO SORRY I HAVENT UPDATED FOR NEARLY A MONTH BUT I WAS HONESTLY STRUCK WITH A RLLY BAD CASE OF WRITERS BLOCK KFEBGDFDS
> 
> follow me on twitter uwu ~ @cuteboibangchan

“You don’t seem to have much in ways of literal food.” Felix whined, his head shoved into Changbin’s fridge trying to find something to eat. “What do you even eat?” He asked, closing the door before slumping against the front of the fridge, a pout evident on his face. Changbin had found out that Felix wakes up around the same time he does, which would be funny enough if it weren’t for the fact that Felix acts like a starving bear after hibernation as soon as he gets out of bed. It has already proved enough to be a struggle dealing with the younger’s cute, ravelled hair, sticking up in every direction, bouncing after every step he takes.

“Most of the time I’ll just get food from my friend’s café, he’s really good at baking.” Changbin replied back absentmindedly, only slightly distracted by his phone, he couldn’t help it, his friends were always active in their group chat, blowing up his notifications every waking second of the day. A loud shuffling sound was heard when Felix perked up at the idea of going out for breakfast, rushing over to Changbin’s side like an excited puppy, small buds of red gerbera flowers sprouting out of his hair due to his sudden cheerfulness. The fairy was startled by the abrupt presence beside him, instinctively turning his phone off so he could put his full attention on the younger.

“Can you take me there for breakfast?” Felix jumped happily beside him, smiling brighter than the sun itself. Of course Changbin was going to give in; who wouldn’t when you’re faced with sparkling freckles, cheeks as red as the common poppy, and a smile appearing like a crescent moon come out from behind a cloud’s shadow, caught in awe once again, he nodded his head slowly, his heart failing to calm down as he tucked his phone away into the back pocket of his sweatpants, trying to avoid eye contact. They had some time to kill before the fairy would open up shop anyways, and Felix would probably want to go home by then.

“Alright then, it’s eight o’clock now so it should be open,” Changbin said as he made his way towards the door which lead to the store downstairs. Felix bounded up beside him, hazel eyes glowing and bright red flowers peeking from the roots of his hair in his eagerness to finally eat something substantial. In Changbin’s eyes, the elf looked absolutely adorable in his oversized black sweater and dark blue jeans, furthermore, to put the cherry on top, Felix’s face was half buried into a thick, furry blue scarf wrapped around his neck. _Absolutely fucking adorable_. The sheer beauty the elf possessed – even at eight in the morning – has yet to fail in making the fairy question his own sanity. From the very second Changbin had locked eyes with the younger, he had already begun his trail of ‘I’m in way too deep’, and since, he has continued on his trek down that painful, emotionally tiring path.

Changbin – being the _fancy_ person he is - opted to stay in his pyjamas while venturing outside, staying in his sweatpants and long-sleeved shirt, however, he sported an all-black outfit, fitting his overall ‘aesthetic’ (Jisung would just laugh at the claim). “Maybe you should call your parents, let them know you’ll be home soon?” Changbin insisted as he opened the door to downstairs, letting Felix walk out first before locking up. A few moments of silence past without a word from the younger, but Changbin could hear the nervous picking of nails behind him. As he turned around, he saw Felix just standing there, a goofy smile on his face with his hands hidden behind his back. “Do you have your phone with you?” Changbin asked this time, already reaching for his own phone. “If you don’t have one you can use mi-“

“No!” Felix suddenly shouted in reply, the flowers dying in his hair and startling Changbin enough to make him drop his phone. “Oh my god I’m so sorry” The elf began to ramble as they both bent down at the same time, lightly knocking their heads together when reaching for the phone sitting on the ground. Another chorus of apologies rung through the staircase, the two fools holding the front of their foreheads with a slightly pained expression dusting their features. “I meant to say that it’s no trouble, my parents are really lenient with me anyways,” Felix said in an attempt to cover up his sudden outburst from before. Changbin just laughed the situation away, not wanting to address the younger’s obvious lie, he could tell that was the case, but knew it wasn’t his place to start questioning Felix, whom was still in pain from their accidental head-butt.

“Okay okay, but since I’m assuming you don’t have a phone at the moment, just ask me if you need to call anyone, okay?” The fairy made sure to let the other know.

“Don’t worry hyung, I will.” Felix responded, the slightest of frowns adorning his features. Changbin just nodded in agreeance, deciding to pay no heed.

They made their way through the store, the elf lagging behind as his eye was caught by the many beautiful plants on display. Changbin repeated his actions from earlier; holding the door open for Felix before he locked up, and so, the fairy lead the way towards the small café. The rain has stopped from yesterday, but dark clouds still hung in the sky as if waiting for the perfect time to strike again. “It isn’t that far, just over there,” Changbin pointed towards a store only two doors down from his, few tables and chairs seated out front with numerous pots of tall plants decorating the doorway. Felix continued to be awe-struck by the natural scenery surrounding him, immediately falling in love with the café before even stepping through the threshold. Changbin noticed the younger’s expression, chuckling lightly at the gaped mouth and wide eyes. “Oh come on, my shop is ten times better than that old place” The fairy boasted comically, drawing Felix away from his daze.

“Of course hyung! I love your store the most, but your friend’s café is already giving me really warm feelings.” Felix rushed, lightly grabbing onto the elder’s forearm, giving it a light squeeze in reassurance, while also keeping his eyes on the café ahead. That was, until Felix stopped walking, his eyes now focused where his hand was still gripping the other’s arm. The elf gave it another squeeze, and another, before looking up at Changbin with gleaming, comical eyes. “You didn’t tell me you were buff! You’re so tiny, how are your arms so _big_!” Felix exclaimed, gaining the attention of a person jogging nearby. The elf was now using both of his hands to continuously poke and squeeze the other’s arm, that was, until Changbin decided to swat his hands away, the blush on his face reaching to the tips of his pointed ears.

“Hey! Stop that, and I’m not tiny, you’re only a couple centimetres taller!” Changbin retorted with a huff, his cheeks puffing out as he crossed his arms in retaliation. But that only enticed Felix to keep teasing him.

“Awe hyung, are you blushing?” The elf pestered, moving his face closer to Changbin’s. The fairy moved his head away, side-glaring the younger in his attempt to look intimidating, but Felix payed no heed, continuing to harass Changbin. But the fairy had had enough, smiling shyly as he rolled his eyes, grabbing Felix’s hand and dragging him towards the entrance of the café. Behind him, Felix was laughing idly, his eyes scrunching together in amusement at the fairy’s embarrassment.

“Okay we’re here now. Happy?” Changbin announced as he pushed the door open, letting go of Felix’s hand as he waiting for the younger to walk through the doorway. Because Changbin was distracted by the younger, he didn’t notice his friends watching in delight from the front counter. Felix had waved his hand timidly towards the watching eyes, which made the fairy turn his head towards the source of discomfort for the younger. “Oh you gotta be fucking kidding me,” Changbin sighed loudly as he saw four pairs of mischievous eyes and four smirking pairs of lips. Minho, Jisung, Chris and Woojin had all been talking animatedly with each other inside the store before Jisung had spotted the playful pair outside, completely stunned by the large smile on Changbin’s face. So, as the two had now entered the store, the gang of curiosity silently decided amongst themselves to annoy the shit out of Changbin.

The fairy locked eyes with Chris, silently pleading the older to not do anything that would embarrass him, which, unfortunately, made the warlock want to do so even more now.

“Good morning Binnie Binnie Changbinnie, did you sleep well?” Chris cooed as he approach Changbin, picking him up off the ground in a bear hug. You could hear Jisung cackling in the background.

“Chris put me down or I swear to god I will poison all the food you have in you-“ The fairy tried to threaten his friend, but was cut short when Chris had let him fall to the ground, beginning to exclaim about Felix whom stood awkwardly to the side.

“Ah! Who’s this? Changbin you never told me you had other friends! My name’s Chris, or Chan, either way, doesn’t matter really. It’s nice to meet you!” Chris expressed loudly, making the others behind him laugh.

“Chris stop being so harsh on Changbin, it’s still morning, wait until midday at least.” Woojin piped up from behind the counter, smiling as he shifted his gaze to Felix. “Hi, I’m Woojin, one of Changbin’s friends.” He welcomed the elf casually as he began cleaning some of the cups above the coffee machine. After Chris had backed away, returning to his place beside the counter, Changbin had motioned for Felix to do the same, mouthing a quick ‘ _don’t worry, they’re harmless_ ’, supported with an exaggerated eye-roll before also making his way towards the group.

The elf waved shyly as he got closer to the boisterous strangers, “Hi, I’m Felix” he introduced himself in a quiet voice, but smiled brightly nonetheless. Changbin became overwhelmed with the feeling of fondness at the sight.

Minho, whom had his arms wrapped around Jisung as the hybrid leaned against him, brought one of his arms up to wave at the newcomer, “I’m Minho, it’s nice to meet someone new.” The witch said from over Jisung’s shoulder as he mirrored Felix’s bright smile.

“And I’m Jisung!” The hybrid exclaimed, sacrificing one of his hands which were holding Minho’s to also wave in welcome. It seemed to be the perfect timing as no customers where in the store to witness the loud group of friends talking animatedly to each other.

After several minutes of Felix continuously answering random questions from the curious boys, he slowly began to fit into the flow of their conversations, laughing at Chan’s awkward jokes and talking more comfortably. Changbin couldn’t stop the smile that began to grace his lips as he focused on the elf. Felix seemed to have one of those personalities that just happened to be compatible with literally anyone’s, allowing him to keep up with conversations and make anyone immediately fall for him. Though he was shy at first, as soon as he became comfortable, there was no cease to the gleaming smile and glistening eyes. However, after a few more minutes, the elf had tugged on Changbin’s sleeve, leaning in a bit to tell the older how he is still quite hungry.

“Oh that’s right, I’m really sorry I forgot,” The fairy quietly said back to Felix, “Woojin Hyung, you don’t mind if we order something for breakfast?” Changbin asked his friend behind the counter, silently hoping he doesn’t have to pay for anything.

“Sure, when are you not here for breakfast?” Woojin sarcastically replied, “And if you think I’m not letting you pay for your order, you’re right, because I like your new friend.” He added, as if he could read the fairy’s mind.

After they ordered, Minho, Chris and Jisung had left to start work for the day, waving goodbye and blowing kisses at the pair.

“Your friends seem really nice.” Felix mentioned as they found a seat near the window – the same seat Changbin and Chan had sat at days before. The fairy hummed in agreeance, not wanting to admit it but not disagreeing either. Changbin loved his friend more than anything, having basically grown up with most and immediately connecting with the others. As Minho and Jisung were the pair that never shied away from a bit of mischief, Woojin and Chan would act like his parents; looking after him when he would fall sick or even just showing up at his apartment to drop off a meal or two. He is eternally grateful every day for meeting them and would give the world back to his friends if he could.

But they can still be fucking dicks at times.

“Yeah they’re alright.” Changbin finally came to an answer, figuring he owes them one for leaving him and Felix to share breakfast without the constant ruckus. After a few minutes of small conversation and awkward foot touches under the table, Woojin finally showed up with their meal, Felix’s eyes glimmering like magic; his freckles glowing at just the smell of the warm croissants. To say the elf looked adorable when biting into the croissant with his lips still puffy from just waking up would be a _complete_ understatement; the boy looked absolutely ethereal. Changbin had yet to touch his meal, his brain re-wiring and sorting through every possible explanation as to how Felix could be this damn _cute_ but yet so _innocently attractive_ at the same time. It was baffling to say the least, and it didn’t help that the rising sun framed his face perfectly in the glow, the tips of his ash-coloured hair shimmering like the sun reflecting off the ocean’s surface.

_Well shit. Things just got a little bit gayer._

_.-~-.__.-~-.__.-~-._

“Thanks for shouting me breakfast, hyung.” The elf said, shining a smile in Changbin’s direction. Fortunately, it was a quiet morning; a large majority of people probably decided to sleep in after the raging storm last night. It’s a miracle the pair didn’t end up getting lost in conversation, stacking their plates neatly on the table while continuing to babble on about anything and everything. They found their personalities to be complementing of one another’s; Felix’s quiet but bubbly nature matched perfectly with Changbin’s playful yet introverted self.

“Pfft I don’t even think you can count that as shouting you, Woojin literally gave us breakfast for free cause he likes you.” The fairy huffed out a laugh, but didn’t seem to notice the blush growing on Felix’s cheeks.

“He l-likes me? I only just met him!” The elf exclaimed, but not loud enough to gain the attention of the charming mage behind the counter. Changbin, however, did have a few look his way when he let out a cackle at the other’s panic.

“No, no oh my goodness he doesn’t like you in _that_ kinda way,” Changbin attempted to patch up the miscommunication, “He likes you, as in, he finds you adorable….like a puppy?” OK, now he wasn’t so sure of his words anymore; what would sound right in his head did sound as simple when coming out of his mouth. “I-I mean he wants to be your friend.” He concluded, thinking that patched things up quite neatly. But he had yet to realise the growing smirk on Felix’s face.

“You think I’m adorable?” The boy grinned, leaning forwards in his seat. The gesture startled the fairy, making him lean backwards, his own cheeks now glowing with a reddish-pink.

“What are you talking about? Don’t put words in my mouth, I said Woojin thinks you’re adorable, not me.” Changbin chimed in panic, watching the smile fall off Felix’s face, the freckles slowly dimming. “I never said you’re adorable, but I do think you’re really cute.” For effect, he even added a little wink at the end, for good measure of course. However, the elf remained utterly dumbfounded, not knowing how to respond at all towards Changbin’s knock-down and reviving compliment. His mind though, did end up getting caught on “ _but I do think you’re really cute”_ , which seemed to put him in a bit of a daze.

“Oh my god shut up you’re so cheesy.” Felix groaned, but smiling brightly all the same, trying so hard to cover up the heat rising to his cheeks. Changbin laughed idly at the other’s inner quarrel, his hands itching to ruffle the younger’s soft hair. “I can’t believe you just sai-.“

“Felix! Oh my goodness I’m so glad you’re still here, you need to follow me. Right now. Changbin, we need to go back your store, we can take Felix around the back.” Jisung had burst through the café’s front doors, basically sprinting towards the pair sitting near the window, talking so fast that the others weren’t able to interrupt. He seemed out of breath, and honestly a little sweaty, but that didn’t stop the fear from rising in the pair’s expressions, obviously beginning to fear what they don’t know. Jisung was already pulling the elf out of his seat, frantically looking between the two and out the window.

“Jisung hold up, wait a goddamn second. What happened?” Changbin couldn’t help but raise his tone slightly in frustration, not knowing what the other was going on about, irritation slowly building.

“I-I had two people come into my store looking for an ‘Elf with ash-brown hair and freckles that glow’ and I don’t know about you, but Felix seems to be the only person I’ve ever seen that fits the description right now.” He took a breath before continuing, “Me being me, I asked them a little bit more, you know, wanting to see if they were nice or not, and basically they said ‘He is very valuable, we need to know if you’ve seen him’ and boy did I freak the fuck out. My first assumption was that they r people traffickers or something, so I pointed to the opposite direction of where we are now but we need you to get somewhere safer, if there are people out there looking for you, with ill intentions, you could get hurt.” Jisung stopped his overly complicated explanation, exhaling and inhaling deeply after his rant, though his eyes stayed fixed with worry as he glanced towards the elf.

Changbin new why; Jisung had been caught in that kind of business before. As the latter was half squirrel, underground scenes would pay big money for a hybrid, wanting to feed their own fetishes or use them as a house pet that could do chores and house work. Jisung’s mother had been trapped in that corrupted system, but after he had grown to a healthy, fit age, she planned his escape, knowing herself that she would have to sacrifice her own future for her son’s. Which is respectively why Changbin raised immediately to his feet, grabbing Felix by the hand as Jisung ushered them behind the counter, through the back doors and into Woojin’s own home. The mage saw the whole event, but understood the fear in the hybrid’s eyes as soon as he stepped through the doors, already clearing the way for the three to rush inside.

Felix, however, was caught in shock, not registering what had happened until he found himself being pushed through a hidden door, opening into Changbin’s greenhouse. “W-wait guys slow down I think we’re safe now!” he raised his voice to gain the other’s attention. It seemed to do nothing in ceasing their franticness, so he took problems into his own hands, lightly yanking on the hand that held his own, resulting in Changbin spinning around, their face now inches away from each other’s. Now that he gained some attention, “Its ok, they went the other way, we should be fine.” He spoke softly with his mellow voice, instantly calming the other two boys in the room. Changbin, however, became awe-struck for possibly the one hundredth time today.

“Shit you’re right, I’m so sorry Felix I overreacted a little bit” Jisung rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, now aware that he may have come off a bit too worried.

“No honestly, it was in good nature and I’m grateful you care so much about my wellbeing already.” Felix replied with just as much embarrassment, not quite used to this kind of situation. After another chorus of apologies and forgiveness, Jisung had ducked back through the hidden door, obviously making his way back to his store. “Thank you f-. “ Felix stopped in his tracks as he looked closely at Changbin’s face, full of worry.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me, but why are there people looking for you?” The fairy asked in a soft voice, not wanting to come off as rude.

“I um….I’ve kinda of, possibly, maybe, ran away from my position as second in line to throne,” The elf stood awkwardly, though his hand was still tightly clasped in Changbin’s. “For a good reason of course, but you would probably laugh at me if I told you.” He let out a forced chuckle, trying to get the other to respond.

“You’re….. you’re a prince?” Changbin chocked out his words, “You’re royalty?” it seemed he didn’t need and answer for his questions by the way his face made it seem like he already understood exactly what was going on. Yes, some elves live in the city, but most tend to reside in their own kingdom’s, not segregating themselves but merely forming an area where they may practice many of their own witchcraft without the possibility of hurting others. Correspondingly, it was rare as fuck to see an elf of royal blood, even more so rare to hold one’s _hand_. You see, the King played a large part in the knowledge and discovery of new/old magic and also economical finances and the management of population growth… but that’s boring. Furthermore, whoever is next in line for the throne has to basically spend their entire life training to rule their kingdom and learn about how to manage it, so seeing _them_ right in front of his eyes came to a bit of a shock.

“Uhhh, yes?” Even Felix himself was not quite sure where his answer would take him.

“What the literal _fuck_ are you doing outside your kingdom?” Changbin could be put in jail if anyone whom knew Felix, saw the elf in his company, heck he could have his store shut-down. No one fucking messes with the hierarchies.

“Oh you know, just taking a little stroll… What the fuck does it look like? I’ve been hiding in the small alley way next to your store for bloody _days_ , I only just got the balls to come inside when it started to rain, luckily though, I thought to bring an umbrella with me, but I did end up forgetting my phone…” Felix trailed off slowly, not realising he revealed something he probably shouldn’t have.

“You hid in the alley way, right beside me, for _days?_ ” Changbin couldn’t help but go into protection mode. He controlled his emotions, sighing loudly before lifting up his head to look at the younger. “You know what? Never mind, let just get you back upstairs where those people wouldn’t be able to find you, I’ll be opening shop in half an hour, if you need me, just call out okay?” Waiting until the boy gave him a nod and a soft ‘ _yeah okay_ ’, he pulled the younger back upstairs, swiftly unlocking the door before letting Felix in to flop back on the couch. “So I guess we can’t call your parents?” The fairy asked comically as he watched the younger fall back onto the sofa, a little exhausted from fear and having to explain – with little detail – why he was in this position.

“Absolutely not.” He chimed, glancing at Changbin still standing near the doorway, “Thank you, a lot.” He finished, knowing that his words would get through to the fairy.

“Yeah yeah, it’s ok, just don’t break anything alright?”

“I wouldn’t dare think of it.”


	7. No Time for Rest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI FINDSVJBH IM SO SORRY I'VE BEEN ON A MAJOR WRITERS BLOCK LATELY AHHHHHH IM SO SORRY PLEASE FORGIVE ME but if ya'll ever feel like screaming at me to update on time my twitter is @cuteboibangchan  
> ALSO @ THE PERSON WHO DREW THAT AMAZING PICTURE OF CHANGBIN ENQJWIFDBSFDS I LOVE YOU!!!!!

People drifted throughout the store, some browsing the various plants and some looking to purchase, either way, it had become quite busy and Changbin was starting to miss the presence of the boy whom was doing god-knows-what upstairs. Though the many customers kept him occupied and made the time go faster, it was still irritating to buzz around the store, answering different plant related questions or better yet finding himself stuck in a domestic yet awkward conversation with an old lady. Fortunately the rush of customers went by and Changbin was once again alone in the store with his head resting on the front desk.

However, he kept his eyes open, and to his interest he saw the lights flicker slightly before he could hear a pair of slow feet walking sneakily down the stairs. He didn’t mention anything, and waited until a tuft of ash-brown hair peaked out from behind the staircase. “Oh I wonder who that could be.” Changbin huffed to himself, his lips forming a large smile as his eyes locked with the other’s. “Caught ya.” He chuckled from his seat, lifting his head of the desk. Felix let out a small squeak after locking eyes with the fairy, obviously unaware that his footsteps were heard. He reached the end of the stairs, slowly looking around the store to make sure no one else was there.

“Is it okay for me to be down here?” Felix asked sceptically.

“Felix you can go anywhere you like, I’m not in-charge of you, I’m just wary of your safety.” Changbin replied, making sure Felix knew he trusted him and wasn’t controlling his every move.

“Anywhere?” Felix teased, a smirk growing on his face, the small freckles glowing just a bit more. The fairy obviously had no idea what the younger could possibly mean by his words until Felix was walking behind the counter, standing right in front of Changbin. If the fairy were to swivel his chair around, their knees would collide. “I _am_ a little hungry right now…” Felix trailed off, his wide eyes staring down at Changbin.

“If you want to go see Woojin, be my guest, just be careful okay?” The fairy finally figured out what Felix was craving, seeing as the younger had enjoyed the croissant they had earlier. Felix may have deflated a little bit at the connotation that Changbin would not be accompanying him, but he should have expected it as the older has a store to manage throughout the day. “Oh and you have to wear these,” Changbin said as he pulled a pair of sunglasses and a mask from one of the desk’s draws, “Don’t think I’m letting you walk around in plain sight when there are people out there looking for you.” He concluded, forgetting their proximity as he swivelled around in his chair, their knees brushing against each other. Felix held out his hand as Changbin gave him the two pieces of disguise.

“Did you want me to grab you anything while I’m there?” Felix asked, putting his hand on Changbin’s shoulder (The fairy may have squealed on the inside at the contact).

“Hmmm, tea maybe?” He said looking up into the elf’s hazel eyes. They seemed to stare at each other for quite some time before Felix nodded his head cutely, slid on the mask and sunglasses and proceeded towards the front door, giving Changbin a short wave. They both pretended to be oblivious towards the red tinge forming on their cheeks.

_.-~-.__.-~-.__.-~-._

“Hyunjin why the literal fuck would you say that?” Seungmin hit Hyunjin’s arm as they stopped around the corner from the shop they had just gone into. “’ _He is very valuable_ ’ what were you thinking? Now we have to take the long way around that store so he doesn’t see us walking by.” After their little stop in the familiar store, the two had concluded that the shop owner was definitely hiding something, their efforts were commendable but Seungmin and Hyunjin had a prince to find.

“Hey! At least we know Felix is definitely somewhere on the other side of that store, you should be thanking me, I just got a lead in this investigation.” Hyunjin raved as if the demon should be on his knees thanking the heavens for Hyunjin’s contribution. Seungmin had to physically hold himself back or he would transform into his in-human figure, ready to throw the elf into the nearest oblivion.

Seungmin let out a loud sigh, “Okay, fine, I’ll give you that. However, now that person knows what we look like and who we are looking for.” The gleam in Hyunjin’s eyes faded as he realised his approach earlier was not calculated very well. Seeing the dismay, Seungmin reached out and poked the mole under Hyunjin’s eye as if it were an off-switch to stop the elf from looking so sad. “Hey, it’s okay, we still have leads and there’s a way to get to the other side of the store without the squirrel noticing.” The demon reminded, flashing his brightest smile at the slightly taller boy in front of him.

Successfully cheering the elf up made it considerably easier to think of a strategy in retrieving the lost prince. Though it could not be reliable that Felix was somewhere past the squirrel’s store, it was better than aimlessly walking around the busy city with no motive. However, the two found it difficult to concentrate standing on the side of the road, so they opted for lounging in the confines of a nearby library, wedged comfortably amongst the busy markets and trade stores.

As they entered through the small door, the smell of wood and leather hung in the air almost as if it were an intangible aura greeting them solemnly. Rows upon rows of books stacked into tight shelves created a walkway through the oddly sizeable store, considering its small exterior, perhaps this library had been established by a prestigious mage some time ago. Seungmin took an immediate liking to the place as he was always fascinated by literature and considered quiet and solitude places to be a safe haven, running his hands along the books stacked here there and everywhere. Hyunjin wasn’t particularly enthralled by the place, however, he would bring the demon here as much as they so wanted if he gets to see the wonderment in his eyes every time.

Suddenly a loud cough startled them, an old lady appearing out of thin air at the end of the row of books. Her hair appeared grey and unruly, leaves and flowers tangled in her hair, but if you were to look closer, you’d notice the fauna stems from the hair follicles themselves. A large witch’s hat sat atop her head, sagging at the front as if it had collected water from the rain outside. Her eyes peered at the two young boys quizzically or perhaps challengingly? It was hard to tell but instincts made Hyunjin move slightly closer to Seungmin in fear. However, the demon seemed unaffected, simply waving his hand at the witch in almost a mockery of a greeting, obviously sensing the old lady’s sceptical eyes. “Hi old lady! Don’t mind us, we’re just browsing!” Seungmin appeared cheerful but Hyunjin became even more fearful for his life after noticing the dangerous change in the lady’s eyes.

“You dare call me old! I’m doing great for my age mind you. I could have your friend turned into a bag of nail clippings if I so dared!” Way to go Seungmin, now you’ve pissed off the witch. “And by no means do I accept _demons_ in my library! So scam!” She swung her right hand, a gush of wind forming out of nowhere, pushing the boys backwards. But her magic dwindled as a small hand was placed on her shoulder.

“Grandma, you’ve gotta control your anger, you can’t keep scaring people away,” the young boy sighed, finally turning his head towards Hyunjin and Seungmin whose hair had been upturned by the strong wind. “I’m so sorry, is there anything I can help you with?” He asked, turning his grandmother around and ushering her towards the back of the library before joining the bewildered pair.

Hyunjin and Seungmin shared equally confused looks, casting their eyes towards the young looking boy. “Um… we just needed a place to sit down in peace.” Hyunjin answered, regaining his composure. The boy was probably a centimeter or two below Seungmin, but his stance made him seem all the more taller, his fox-like eyes were soft and welcoming however his hair was a mess and smudges of what seems to be coal were on his cheeks.

“Oh, there’s a couch at the end of the row just three columns down, if you’re planning on reading, the couch is surrounded by romance novels.” The fox-eyed boy smiled brightly, displaying the braces on his pearl white teeth. He was halfway turning around before Seungmin stopped him.

“Do you know many of the other store holders in this area?” The demon asked, remembering the mission they are on.

“Yeah! I’ve lived here my entire life so every local here is familiar to me.” The boy answered happily.

“Do you know who owns any of the shops on the street over there,” Seungmin pointed in the direction of where they came, “Particularly ones on the other side of the Familiar store?” The kid seemed a little perplexed by Seungmin’s question, but they needed all the information they could get.

“Well, I mean, there’s this café I go to regularly, my friend owns it, I’m also friends with the guy who owns the Familiar store and the flower shop, but ya know that’s a lon-“ The boy already became distracted by his thoughts, so Seungmin decided to cut him off.

“Have you seen a guy with ash-brown hair, sparkly freckles, kinda small but has a deep voice?” The demon asks quickly, seeing as the kid frequents the area, he might have seen Felix. Oddly enough, the fox-eyed boy stiffens at the description.

“Oh… you’re looking for _that_ guy? Is he lost or something? God I hope so cause he annoyed the shit outta me the other day, my grandma should have curs-“

“You know Felix?! W-wait you’ve _seen_ him?” Hyunjin yelled out, his voice echoing through every corridor in the library. The boy seemed displeased.

“Hell yeah I did, a few days ago but I’m still holding my grudge against him.” He answered back, obviously affected by the prince’s presence those few days ago. Without being asked he added, “Feddrik, or whatever you called him, was standing stupidly outside Changbin’s flower shop, even yesterday I was about to go in but. They now saw the guy there!” Seungmin and Hyunjin’s ears perked up at the sudden information, could this be where Felix has been hiding? Will they finally be able to bring him home?

_.-~-.__.-~-.__.-~-._

Jisung rung Minho the second he got back to his store, telling him what happened. Minho gracefully took that as an excuse to spend the rest of the day in his boyfriend’s shop in case the ‘ _mean people_ ’ come back, halting his experiments with different acidic elixirs and making a quick beeline straight to Jisung.

“Honey I’m home!” Minho shouted as soon as he entered through the storefront’s doors, luckily there were no customers at the moment, but either way he wouldn’t have cared an awful lot. However he did manage to scare quite a few of the animals in the store, all beginning to chirp loudly at the flamboyant entrance. Jisung’s eyes perked up at the loud noise, startling him a great deal, so much he nearly fell off his chair. But his gazed softened once he got a good look at his boyfriend striding up towards him.

“Hi buttercup.” Jisung greasily greeted, smirking up at Minho.

“Ew don’t call me that.” The witch replied, but eagerly leant down to kiss the hybrid square on the lips, holding the contact. “I may have missed you.” Minho said against Jisung’s lips, erupting a soft chuckle between then, separating the two by an inch or so.

“We literally saw each other earlier this morning.” The hybrid stated, still smiling up at his lover from where he was sitting. Minho just circled the counter, coming up to Jisung so he could grab his cheeks, muttering a quick ‘yeah but…’ under his breath. Jisung replied by putting his hands on the older’s waist, resting there as he gazed lovingly upwards.

“I was worried.” Minho voiced his thoughts, his thumb swiping the younger’s cheek ever so delicately. “From what you told me over the phone, the situation seemed to hit a bit close to home…” The witch trailed off, uncertain of his words and how the younger would respond. To his surprise, Jisung meekly smiled up at him, gently shaking his head to disguise the fondness for his lover. Nothing needed to be said between the two, already wary of the weight of the topic, so they opted for silence, reveling in each other’s calm and homely aura. However, their loving moment was cut short by a customer entering the store.

Minho quickly kissed Jisung on the cheek before he retreated through the door behind the counter, internally deciding he should check up on stock for the animals while the hybrid served the new customer.

A few minutes went by before Jisung opened the back door, already missing the warmth of his boyfriend. “Whatcha doing, good lookin’?” he announced, winking exaggeratedly at the witch whom sent him one back as soon as he noticed.

“Nothing much, handsome,” Minho said in return, opening his arms wide to invite the other for a hug. Jisung replied to the gesture immediately, walking up to the older and burying his head into Minho’s collar.

“I shouldn’t be keeping you here when you could be working…” The hybrid said, his voice low.

“Pfft, are you kidding me, I barely have anything to do at the moment, all my potions are brewing and I don’t need any ingredients at the moment. Plus, I’m enjoying this a lot.” The witch said in return, rubbing Jisung’s back tenderly.

“Ew, are you kidding me? I just wanted to say hi but this is what I get?” A voice called out from behind, breaking the two apart. Jeongin stood judgingly on the other side of the counter, peering at the pair with disgust.

“Um excuse you but we were having a moment.” Minho fired back, keeping his arm around Jisung.

“Well can you postpone your moment to greet your favourite child?” Jeongin stood with his arms crossed, waiting for their attention. Jisung huffed out a laugh at the pouting child, walking up to Jeongin and immediately putting his hands to the boy’s cheeks, smushing them together cutely, making the fox-eyed boy groan in annoyance and try to swat the older’s hands away. “Stoph squishing my cheefs!” He yelled in protest, but Jisung continued with his antics, making Jeongin’s words come out muffled and adorable, earning coos from the pair in return.

“Awh but doesn’t our Jeonginnie want our affection?” Minho pouted, ruffling the younger’s hair roughly. The boy in question continued to whine, effectively gaining distance between his two attackers once he got out of Jisung’s grasp.

“I made a mistake coming here, I’ll be going now!” Jeongin announced, running out the door before the pair could say a word.

“He’s acting weird….” Jisung observed. Minho hummed in agreeance.

“Maybe he’s just going through puberty?” The witch questioned, earning a chuckle from Jisung. The two looked at each other menacingly, as if they were telepathically plotting their plan to annoy the shit out of Jeongin once again.

_.-~-.__.-~-.__.-~-._

Felix made his way towards Woojin’s café, basking in the midday sun and the cool winter’s wind, even though he much preferred warmer weather, he will never stop to appreciate this fine opportunity of wearing jumpers wherever he goes, enjoying how warm his hands are inside the pockets.

The bell above the door chimes beautifully as the elf steps into the café, making his way to the counter slowly as he relishes in the delightful and calming atmosphere. Woojin doesn’t recognise him at first glance, but after a quick double take, the mage’s eyes widen, surprised to see the boy back so soon. “Hey Felix, I’m happy to see you again but isn’t it a bit dangerous for you to be out and about at the moment?”

“Well Changbin hyung gave me these to disguise myself,” He said, pointing to the mask and sunglasses. “Plus I’m hungry.” Felix’s cheeks rose as he smiled under the mask, “Oh! And hyung wants some tea!” He finished, bringing the mask down so he could properly flash his bright grin. Woojin sighed in defeat muttering a soft ‘ _the things I do for these guys’_ before he ducked behind the machine to prepare Changbin’s tea.

“What were you thinking to grab for lunch?” Woojin asked, nodding his head towards the baked delights on display. Felix’s eyes widened at the sight of all the different pastries and sweets in the cabinet, his mouth beginning to drool with anticipation.

“Oh man there’s so much to choose from. You made all of these?” The elf asked Woojin, whom was waiting for the tea to brew.

“Heck yeah I did, I make everything in my kitchen back there,” He answered, pointing to the door behind him. Felix made a sound of astonishment, admiring the mage’s baking and how delicious it all looks. “Here’s your tea, see anything you like?”

“Hmm..” Felix started, bending up and down in front of the display, as if it would help him decide. “Those choc chip muffins look really good!” He decided, not being able to take his eyes off the sweet treat.

“Coming right up,” Woojin announced, putting two muffins in a paper bag before handing it over to Felix, “Don’t forget your tea. And stay out of trouble okay!” He called out, watching Felix grab the takeaway cup of tea and bag of muffins before racing out the door, shouting a quick ‘ _Of course Woojin hyung!_ ’ over his shoulder. But the elf didn’t make it far out the door as he nearly collided with a few customers entering.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” He apologised quickly, sliding quickly past the two people entering through the door.

“Wait… that voice.” Felix heard one of them say, but was already walking back towards the flower shop to pay much attention. That was, until he heard his name shouted loudly from outside the café, his head whipping around at the sudden noise. Though he regretted it immediately when he spotted Hyunjin and Seungmin running towards him, making him flee into the flower store quickly.

“Oh Lix, you’re back really quickly, wait! Felix, what’s happening!” Changbin was extremely confused and worried at the sight of Felix running into the store, then making a beeline for the staircase, the sound of the upstairs door shutting made a loud echo throughout the store. He was about to follow him upstairs before two other boys ran into the shop as well, looking around quickly. “Um hello?” Changbin seemed utterly perplexed by the situation at hand, and wanted nothing more than to see if Felix is okay upstairs.

“Hi, hello, is your name Changbin?” One of the boys asked. He seems to have a familiar aura to Changbin.

“Yes… and who are you guys?” He asked back tentatively, the pair didn’t look intimidating but they did seem very serious.

“We want to talk to your friend Felix, if we may.”


	8. I Trust You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyunjin cleared his throat before quietly answering “Me, I’m the dumbass.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW HELLO I AM SO SORRY KSJDFHBWJD  
> ALL IS WELL NOW BECAUSE I HAVE OVERCOME MY WRITER'S BLOCK!!!!!  
> WE BOUTTA GET ON THAT MAAAAAAD GRIND YEE YEE
> 
> also i changed my twitter url, it's now @chanspinky

“No.” Changbin said firmly, his voice a low growl “Why would I let you talk to him after I _see_ him _running away_ from the both of you?” Changbin was having none of their shit, he could sense how scared Felix was when he came running through the door, lights flickering and the freckles on his face flashing with urgency. As soon as the two pursuers entered the room, they gave off a strong yet determined aura – though not entirely threatening – but still powerful enough to make Changbin pull up his fortress of instinctual guards. Furthermore, he couldn’t shake the fact that one of these trouble seeking souls have demon blood, setting off territorial alarm bells. Changbin can smell it, and it doesn’t help his stance as the familiar scent is making him more and more inclined to trusting them, but at the same time, inducing his awareness. Did they know Felix is seeking refuge with a demon? Have they been stalking them this entire time?

It wouldn’t make sense, Changbin thought, they were so adamant on chasing him down at this very moment, if they had been following them all along, then they had missed other opportunities to ambush. So is it possible they had been searching for Felix, intending to outlay a message of importance? Changbin’s head was racing with thoughts, trying to seek every possibility before letting the two strangers think of any sort of compromise. He could tell they understood what he was thinking; determining whether their intentions are hostile or not - why Felix was running away. Changbin knew they were hiding something important; the fact that Felix is a prince could relate to their sudden presence. However, the fairy will allow their stay for now, Changbin can sense their determination and he didn’t want to risk pushing their motives.

“What are your names, what are you and where do you come from?” He decided to ask, sparing no breath.

“My name is Hwang Hyunjin, I’m Felix’s cousin, and I live in one of the elf cities nearby.” Hyunjin spoke quickly, urgently, making it so he stood taller than usual, not as a threat but to confirm his identity with confidence. He’s handsome – the classic trait of an elf – though he seemed to hold more poise in his authority and stance; a man who knew the power of his looks, but chose to shine brightly and be known for his talents and responsibilities. Someone whom would be extremely trust-worthy, though would dedicate their life to keeping your secrets. A person even a stranger could rely on in times of need. “This is-“ The elf was cut off by Changbin.

“Your friend will speak for himself.” The fairy said, raising his hand, regretting his immediate impression of the younger boy, Changbin seemed to have a weakness for the composure of an elf. “You’re a demon, aren’t you?” He continued, switching his mind to focus on the other boy - the smaller of the two he was, yet still taller than Changbin himself.

“I speak for myself, thank you,” The demon boy mockingly replied, “My name is Kim Seungmin, demon, and I too live in the same city as my friend. I know Felix personally.” Seungmin concluded, his tone professional and strong yet not threatening, someone who knew how to get to the point without baffling around. Though Changbin couldn’t help but notice the kid’s ear twitching slightly, probably a nervous habit. It was rare the he come across another demon; their presence sometimes unwelcome in retail districts, as their aura is strong and can be slightly hostile even when the person themselves is calm.

“A demon? Living in one of the Royal Elf cities? That’s basically unheard of, how could I possibly trust that that’s true?” Changbin questioned, slowly stepping forward whilst crossing his arms. He tilted his chin slightly upwards perhaps to appear more authoritarian in this space, but he just wanted to make it seem as if he were looking down on them as his height is obviously lacking compared to theirs. However, the atmosphere became tense at Changbin’s actions, though he meant well, his nature carried a threat automatically. The two noticed, and both decided to slouch their backs slightly, a gesture to show the older that they are not here to cause harm, they are just here to compromise with the circumstances at hand. Changbin picked up on their change of demeanour and immediately loosened his own posture at their respect, the air becoming lighter and less suffocating – the fairy can feel himself becoming more and more inclined to feeling comfortable with their presence.

“I was summoned inside the cities gates and have lived there my whole life under secrecy,” Seungmin spoke up with that naturally professional tone of his. “Felix knows how to create charms so he specifically made one to ward off my aura, which enabled me to live there for as long as I have.” He finished, arms neatly behind his back. It looked as though he were presenting a speech to a room of renowned politicians. If Seungmin really is Felix’s friend, Changbin hopes the young elf hasn’t been comparing the two during his stay in the flower shop.

“What kind of dumbass would summon a demon inside the Royal Elf city’s gates?” Changbin queried comically, now leaning against the counter in a comfortable manner. He wore a smirk on his face as Seungmin elbowed his friend, Hyunjin, in the ribs, the latter flinching at the sudden contact. By now he has recognised that the two mean no harm, it’s just their intentions that are still ringing alarm bells in the fairy’s mind.

Hyunjin cleared his throat before quietly answering “Me, I’m the dumbass.” With a small cough at the end so he could hide his face in his fist. You know what? Alarm bells disabled. With that thought Changbin pushed himself off the counter, not even bothering to look behind him before ascending up the stairs.

“I’ll be back!” He shouted at them from the stairs, “Don’t fucking touch anything!”

“We won’t!” Changbin heard the small reply behind him, looking back just in time to see Seungmin swatting Hyunjin’s hand away from a nearby plant. Honestly, Changbin just wanted whatever this was to be resolved so he could get those two out of his shop before they set something on fire. He turned back around from the chaos and continued on towards the door, his calm nature clouding with worry for Felix after each step he took, reminding himself of the scared elf upstairs.

“Felix… it’s me, Changbin,” The fairy said softly, hoping the elf can hear him through the door. Even though Changbin had already self-concluded that the two downstairs pose no real threat as long as they keep their distance, he couldn’t help but worry for Felix. Over the few days they have spent with each other, Changbin has already seen himself become extremely fond of the freckled boy, so much that he wouldn’t mind if Felix stayed here longer. It was a new feeling to him; not feeling bothered by another person’s lingering presence, and it made him feel over-joyed and terrified at the same time. He knew for a fact that he likes Felix more than just an acquaintance or a friend. Changbin wants to wake up every day to those glowing freckles that create their own sea of constellations, those hazel eyes that stare into his very being, stripping him of all his walls and baring him exposed to the sweet company of the boy he is falling so terribly hard for. He wants to see Felix’s bright smile every day, the one that outshines the sun and every other star in the galaxy. But also those small, simple smiles that never fail to take his breath away. He wants to feel the tranquil aura the other emits, the feeling of laying within a field of flowers; extraordinary flowers with unimaginable fragrances, drifting you into a sweet serenity. Felix is beautiful inside and out, and Changbin had never felt such adoration before.

“Changbin?” Felix questioned from the other side of the door, his voice wavering slightly. “Ar-are you alone? They aren’t with you, right?” He asked, pulling Changbin out of his daze.

“No of course not, Lix, I wouldn’t let them come near you without your permission.” The fairy replied, putting his hand against the door solemnly, as if to confirm his individual presence. The door opened slowly with a quiet creak as a tuft of hair stuck out from behind. Felix poked his head out, grabbing Changbin by the collar of his shirt and pulling him inside before glaring downstairs and shutting the door.

The apartment was lit by one singular lamp in the lounge room, cascading a dull orange glow throughout the room, it seems as though Felix had been occupying the couch while Changbin was downstairs as one of his blankets was thrown over the cushions. The elf slowly trailed back over to the couch, confirming Changbin’s suspicions as he picked up the blanket and wrapped it around his body before falling back into the cushions.

“They’re right you know…” Felix started, tucking his feet under himself as he sat down, Changbin following after, sitting down next to the elf in silence. “Hyunjin is my cousin, Seungmin was summoned by Hyunjin and secretly became a part of our family. My dad still doesn’t know of course, about Seungmin that is.” Felix muttered the last part, not knowing if he should disclose such information, he took a deep breath before continuing. “I’ve been trained in a variety of witchcraft such as runes and forging magical charms, it’s all part of my training as heir to the throne.” His eyes casted downwards, obviously sensitive to the topic, Changbin sensed this internal battle and placed a hand on his knee, letting Felix know that the fairy can be trusted, that he can be his anchor.

The elf smiled brightly up at Changbin to say thanks, “That’s why Hyunjin and Seungmin are trying to find me,” Felix started again, more confident in his words this time with the present support. “As heir, I’m supposed to live in the castle for the rest of my life, my fate decided for me, my…” He paused, quickly glancing at Changbin, “My spouse with whom I should raise children with.” He glanced again, “Though I want none of that, I’ve known my whole life that I was never meant for the role of King, I was meant to live here, walk through the parks and explore all the different wondrous crevices that this concrete jungle has to offer.” His freckles illuminated at the lift in conversation.

“Hyunjin, Seungmin, they mean well, of course, but they were sent here to bring me back home and…” Felix’s voiced wavered slightly as his freckles began to glow brighter, he shifted his body so he could look directly into Changbin’s worried eyes “And, I don’t really want to go back.” He concluded, gulping harshly as if his own words were hard to swallow, but kept his eyes locked on Changbin’s, silently screaming ‘ _I want to stay with you_ ’. A flourish of white carnations sprouted in the elf’s hair, almost covering his scalp with the beautiful flower. Changbin decided not to dwell on its meaning.

The air became thick with tension as the fairy blinked rapidly, not knowing how to properly read the situation, all he could focus on was Felix’s hazel eyes, which seemed to be edging closer and closer with each passing second. Was Felix going to kiss him? Was he going to kiss Felix? Was this going to fast? Oh god oh god oh god oh god.

Changbin couldn’t stop himself from slowly closing his eyes as Felix drew closer, he _knew_ he wanted the other to kiss him, however, he felt like the circumstances at hand were too drastic, and he didn’t want things to feel rushed between them, but then again he would feel a heavy weight lifted off his shoulders if Felix wanted to be more than just friends. _Oh no_ , he thought, _I’m rambling in my head about kissing a boy as the boy is about to kiss me what the literal fuck do I do_.

With Felix’s eyes already closed shut, Changbin took the opportunity to slowly reach for the other’s face, careful not to make a sound as he lightly cupped their cheeks. He could feel Felix freeze under his touch, then instantly settling as the weight of the situation dawned on both of them, the freckles dusting his cheeks were now almost blinding, glowing so magnificently that Changbin could feel the warmth radiating off Felix’s cheeks. But something in Changbin’s mind was telling him that this isn’t the right time, and very rarely does Changbin not listen to his instincts. Not waiting another second he decided to speak up, just as Felix’s nose barely brushed his own. “Felix,” He started lightly, just whispering loud enough to get the boy’s attention, but all he seemed to receive was a low hum in response. _I don’t knowing what to fucking do_ , the fairy thought to himself yet again, but he knew he had to make up his mind quickly.

In doing so, he strategically moved his right hand to cup the back of Felix’s neck, giving him an open spot to quickly lean in and kiss Felix’s cheek, letting his lips linger for a few seconds.

It was like a work of magic - seeing how quickly Felix sprung back to his senses, flinging himself backwards to the other end of the couch. “Oh my god oh my god oh my god I’M SO SORRY!” Felix apologised profusely, his cheeks not dulling, but flashing sporadically like an alarm. Changbin instinctively leaned forward to calm the boy down.

“Shhh Felix, Felix, it’s okay” The fairy said quietly, grabbing one of Felix’s hands and intertwining their fingers together, “I just don’t want us to rush into things okay?” He asked tentatively, rubbing his thumb over the other’s hand. Felix calmed down, slouching into the back of the couch beside Changbin, letting the older caress his hand. The elf let out a small puff of air, the carnations dwindling in his ashy locks and his flashing freckles subduing.

“I’m so sorry Changbin, I shouldn’t have put you into that kind of situation.” The elf apologised, running his fingers through his hair exasperatedly.

“Oh god don’t apologise, I want to kiss you as well more than anything right now, but the circumstances and the fact that you literally have a family member downstairs I just…” He trailed off, now feeling guilty that he put Felix into a position where he thought he needed to apologise. “Can we settle for this, right now?” The fairy asked, leaning over to kiss Felix’s cheek again, lingering more than before, “Is this okay?” He queried against the elf’s cheek, causing the younger to let out a soft giggle at the ticklish contact.

“If you want to kiss me so bad, then why don’t you? Yeah, Hyunjin and Seungmin are down stairs but can’t we just not think about them?” Felix shyly asked, jutting his bottom lip out into a pout, obviously disheartened by the poor timing, yet mutual agreement. It took all the strength in Changbin to not quickly kiss the other’s lips, but he was a man of his word, and still rightfully believed in waiting until they had better timing. Therefore, doing as he did before, he leant down and kissed Felix’s cheek before pulling him up from the couch, not letting go of his hand.

“How about this: We go down and talk with your cousin and friend, compromise, and then we send them off and maybe you’ll get a smooch from me.” The fairy said mischievously, winking at the younger. Felix scoffed loudly at the other’s antics, but couldn’t hold back his own bright smile.

“Your enthusiasm is great but what makes you think they won’t drag me back to the Royal Elf city as soon as they see me?” The elf questioned, curiosity getting the better of him.

 _‘I was summoned inside the cities gates and have lived there my whole life under secrecy’_ Seungmin’s voice played through Changbin’s mind at the thought, “Don’t worry Lix, something tells me they might have the same idea as you.”

 

_.-~-.__.-~-.__.-~-._

 

The soft chime of a bell resonated throughout the store as Woojin entered through the Tattoo Parlor’s front door, a low chuckle could be heard from the front counter, where a curly-haired warlock sat sketching on a large notepad. “Morning, babe, great timing actually cause the last customer left ten minutes ago and my next appointment isn’t for another thirty” Chan smiled up from his desk, greeting his lover. Woojin skipped over to where Chan was stationed and leaned over the many piles of sketch books and filing equipment to place a chaste kiss on the other’s lips.

“Morning to you too, I got an employee to cover for me while I came over to see you.” He replied, leaning down to kiss his partner again. “What are you sketching?” Woojin asked, rounding the desk so he could rest his head on Chan’s shoulder. The two had been together for three years now, each day growing fonder and fonder for one another. Sure, they’d have petty fights and quarrels, but that brought them closer together as they would always end up with a better understanding of each other’s views.

“Oh just some quick practice sketches, there’s this one artist I’ve been really inspired by lately and I’ve incorporated some of their colour schemes into my designs,” Chan began, so immersed in his work, it was truly a sight to behold watching a man so passionate about his trade continually learning from others by the daily. Woojin has yet to discover if there is a limit to Chan’s overflowing creativity and skill. “I also noticed how detailed their plants are, so right now I’ve been practicing foliage in my own design, just to _spruce_ it up a bit.” Chan dragged out the last part, obviously to hint at the pathetic, yet endearing pun. Woojin bit back his laughter and instead opted for a mumbled “ _you’re so stupid_ ” into Chan’s neck, which gained a loud scoff from the artist. “Oh come on! That was a good one.” Chan exclaimed, closing his sketch book in mock frustration before spinning around in his swivel chair to face Woojin.

The mage wore a pout on his face, opening up his arms for a hug, Chan immediately giving into the cute face and diving up from the office chair into the warm embrace of his partner. “I like this.” Chan muffled into the collar of Woojin’s shirt.

“I like you.” Woojin replied just as softly, earning a mocked form of surprise and disgust from the artist.

“I beg your pardon! I thought you love me?” Chan retorted, placing a hand over his heart, pretending as if he had been shot.

The mage just playfully rolled his eyes before latching onto Chris’s hands, intertwining their fingers together, “I do, I love you” he said as he leaned in to press a kiss to Chan’s nose, then his cheek, then his forehead, then finally, his lips. Chan giggled loudly and returned the kiss, unlocking their fingers so he could wrap his arms around his boyfriend’s neck. When they finally parted their lips to breathe, Chris lightly brought Woojin’s face down so he could whisper in his ear.

“Hey, Woojin,” He started, gaining the other’s full attention, Woojin hummed in response, “That’s gay!” Chan squealed loudly at the older before unlatching himself and running down the store’s hallway into one of the office rooms. Woojin couldn’t help but laugh idly at his dork of a boyfriend and followed in suit screaming in return ‘ _Of course it’s gay! We’re Gay!_ ”


End file.
